Meteor or what?

"Lydia Dustbin" wrote in message
om...

"Dr J R Stockton" wrote in message
news:64ef73b7-9bee-41e8-b672-

Yesterday, 7th Oct 08. Wolverhampton/Dudley border 21:05 approx, facing
east. A very bright, and far larger light than I thought anything had a
right to be, went streaking from the south east (Birmingham direction)
and
away to the north (over Wolverhampton) in a position I can only say was
closer to chimneypots than zenith.
The whole thing took about two seconds.

And can anyone hazard a guess at what it was?

http://www.imo.net/calendar/2008#gia - A Draconid? But Draco was
more to the North (I don't know quote where the radiant is). It
sounds much too fast for a re-entry. A sporadic meteor?
.
8) I dread to think what one of those is. I Googled about a bit and found
this site which cheers me up. Now I am wondering what happened after it
passed over Wolverhampton.
http://www.popastro.com/sections/met..._sightings.htm
.
Thank you for your suggestion, anyway. At least now I know things larger
than a streak can be seen without people telling you to get your eyes
tested.
.
VL.

I've been interested in astronomy since I could read. When I was perhaps
ten, having seen two comets and Sputniks 2 and 3 but before I had ever
positively seen a meteor, I saw a bright and irregular object comparable in
angular size to the moon moving over several degrees in a second or two.
Knowing for sure that there was nothing celestial which could fit that
description, I thought for decades I must have imagined it. Very much later
I read that fireballs can be bright enough to overload the retina and appear
to be very much larger than their true angular dimension. Sounds like your
experience was something similar.

"newshound" wrote in message
...

I've been interested in astronomy since I could read. When I was perhaps
ten, having seen two comets and Sputniks 2 and 3
..
Oh yes... head up and eyes squinty watching the faint dot over Birmingham.
8)
..
but before I had ever
positively seen a meteor, I saw a bright and irregular object comparable
in angular size to the moon moving over several degrees in a second or
two. Knowing for sure that there was nothing celestial which could fit
that description, I thought for decades I must have imagined it. Very much
later I read that fireballs can be bright enough to overload the retina
and appear to be very much larger than their true angular dimension.
Sounds like your experience was something similar.
I wouldn't be at all surprised being as I am in my mid sixties and have lost
a bit of night vision. It certainly wasn't as large as the moon, though.
Just 'slightly larger' than I thought a meteor should be?
..
I deeply regret to inform you that the only other thing I have seen 'up
there' was a bright green cigar during daylight hours and experience has
taught me not to boast about that baby. I put it down to a ball of light and
certainly nothing ET about it.
..
Ah well. I dare say I can go for the rest of my life without seeing anything
else untowards.
Meanwhile, happy star-watching to the rest of you. I am terribly impressed
by your photographs.
..
VL