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What did I see? Pons-Winnecke?



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 2nd 04, 06:09 PM
Lord Calvert
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Posts: n/a
Default What did I see? Pons-Winnecke?

I'm not a contributor here or even a lurker but I thought I'd ask some help on
something I unexpectedly saw last week.

Date of viewing: 26 June 2004
Approximate time: Roughly 2130 EDT. I did not have a watch with me and did not
indicate the precise time. I was at a drive-in theatre with my children and
some friends.
Location: Town of Lockport, NY
Description: From approximately due west I saw what appeared to be roughly 5-6
objects traveling very slowly in a SSE direction. The entire transit took about
6 minutes where it disappeared from view. Magnitude at brightest I would
estimate at -10 at roughly SSW of Lockport. They were not in any sort of
"formation" nor do I believe that this was a UFO or other type of sighting. The
course was perfectly straight however it did appear that it was shattering into
pieces the longer it was in the sky.
Speculation: What I thought I was seeing was the breakup of a satellite or a
high-altuitude aircraft. As the objects traveled, they seemed to split into
smaller parts, leading me to believe that this was some sort of disastrous
re-entry into Earth atmosphere. I shortly turned my car radio to news stations
to hear if it was some sort of disaster but there was no mention. It was
clearly visible to the roughly 2000 people at the large drive-in.

I read on the www.space.com website that this could probably be the breakup of
the Pons-Winnecke comet. The time indicated in the article does correspond
roughly with the time it was seen. I am skeptical that an old cometary breakup
would be so bright and travel so slowly across the sky but with the lack of
news regarding a man-made disaster I don't know what else could possibly be the
culprit. It was certainly not typical of the June Bootids.

So, I ask the group, was this Pons-Winnecke or was it something else?

The article I'm refering to in my post is here?
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/boot...rs_040618.html

Rich Goranson
Amherst, NY, USA
  #2  
Old July 2nd 04, 06:42 PM
Bill Nunnelee
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sounds like reentering space junk. Meteors typically enter the atmosphere
much faster than that, and comets (the parent bodies for meteor showers) are
solar system objects that travel much slower in their orbits around the sun.



"Lord Calvert" wrote in message
...
I'm not a contributor here or even a lurker but I thought I'd ask some

help on
something I unexpectedly saw last week.

Date of viewing: 26 June 2004
Approximate time: Roughly 2130 EDT. I did not have a watch with me and did

not
indicate the precise time. I was at a drive-in theatre with my children

and
some friends.
Location: Town of Lockport, NY
Description: From approximately due west I saw what appeared to be roughly

5-6
objects traveling very slowly in a SSE direction. The entire transit took

about
6 minutes where it disappeared from view. Magnitude at brightest I would
estimate at -10 at roughly SSW of Lockport. They were not in any sort of
"formation" nor do I believe that this was a UFO or other type of

sighting. The
course was perfectly straight however it did appear that it was shattering

into
pieces the longer it was in the sky.
Speculation: What I thought I was seeing was the breakup of a satellite or

a
high-altuitude aircraft. As the objects traveled, they seemed to split

into
smaller parts, leading me to believe that this was some sort of disastrous
re-entry into Earth atmosphere. I shortly turned my car radio to news

stations
to hear if it was some sort of disaster but there was no mention. It was
clearly visible to the roughly 2000 people at the large drive-in.

I read on the www.space.com website that this could probably be the

breakup of
the Pons-Winnecke comet. The time indicated in the article does correspond
roughly with the time it was seen. I am skeptical that an old cometary

breakup
would be so bright and travel so slowly across the sky but with the lack

of
news regarding a man-made disaster I don't know what else could possibly

be the
culprit. It was certainly not typical of the June Bootids.

So, I ask the group, was this Pons-Winnecke or was it something else?

The article I'm refering to in my post is here?
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/boot...rs_040618.html

Rich Goranson
Amherst, NY, USA



  #3  
Old July 2nd 04, 06:42 PM
Bill Nunnelee
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sounds like reentering space junk. Meteors typically enter the atmosphere
much faster than that, and comets (the parent bodies for meteor showers) are
solar system objects that travel much slower in their orbits around the sun.



"Lord Calvert" wrote in message
...
I'm not a contributor here or even a lurker but I thought I'd ask some

help on
something I unexpectedly saw last week.

Date of viewing: 26 June 2004
Approximate time: Roughly 2130 EDT. I did not have a watch with me and did

not
indicate the precise time. I was at a drive-in theatre with my children

and
some friends.
Location: Town of Lockport, NY
Description: From approximately due west I saw what appeared to be roughly

5-6
objects traveling very slowly in a SSE direction. The entire transit took

about
6 minutes where it disappeared from view. Magnitude at brightest I would
estimate at -10 at roughly SSW of Lockport. They were not in any sort of
"formation" nor do I believe that this was a UFO or other type of

sighting. The
course was perfectly straight however it did appear that it was shattering

into
pieces the longer it was in the sky.
Speculation: What I thought I was seeing was the breakup of a satellite or

a
high-altuitude aircraft. As the objects traveled, they seemed to split

into
smaller parts, leading me to believe that this was some sort of disastrous
re-entry into Earth atmosphere. I shortly turned my car radio to news

stations
to hear if it was some sort of disaster but there was no mention. It was
clearly visible to the roughly 2000 people at the large drive-in.

I read on the www.space.com website that this could probably be the

breakup of
the Pons-Winnecke comet. The time indicated in the article does correspond
roughly with the time it was seen. I am skeptical that an old cometary

breakup
would be so bright and travel so slowly across the sky but with the lack

of
news regarding a man-made disaster I don't know what else could possibly

be the
culprit. It was certainly not typical of the June Bootids.

So, I ask the group, was this Pons-Winnecke or was it something else?

The article I'm refering to in my post is here?
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/boot...rs_040618.html

Rich Goranson
Amherst, NY, USA



  #4  
Old July 2nd 04, 06:44 PM
Lloyd Jones
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

How many times a month do NASA launch something into space. Probably allot
more than they say.

LJ


  #5  
Old July 2nd 04, 06:44 PM
Lloyd Jones
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

How many times a month do NASA launch something into space. Probably allot
more than they say.

LJ


  #6  
Old July 2nd 04, 08:10 PM
Lord Calvert
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sounds like reentering space junk. Meteors typically enter the atmosphere
much faster than that, and comets (the parent bodies for meteor showers) are
solar system objects that travel much slower in their orbits around the sun.


That was my guess as well. It took about six minutes to cover roughly 150
degrees of arc. In my experience that is far, FAR too slow for any meteor
shower and the appearance as if it were debris led me to believe it was a space
object breakup.

If it means anything to anybody, the coordinates of the theatre is roughly
43.103184 N, 78.703346 W. (these are the coordinates of the North Buffalo
Suburban airport, which is across the street). That roughly translates into 43°
6' N, 78° 42' W.



  #7  
Old July 2nd 04, 08:10 PM
Lord Calvert
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sounds like reentering space junk. Meteors typically enter the atmosphere
much faster than that, and comets (the parent bodies for meteor showers) are
solar system objects that travel much slower in their orbits around the sun.


That was my guess as well. It took about six minutes to cover roughly 150
degrees of arc. In my experience that is far, FAR too slow for any meteor
shower and the appearance as if it were debris led me to believe it was a space
object breakup.

If it means anything to anybody, the coordinates of the theatre is roughly
43.103184 N, 78.703346 W. (these are the coordinates of the North Buffalo
Suburban airport, which is across the street). That roughly translates into 43°
6' N, 78° 42' W.



  #8  
Old July 2nd 04, 08:13 PM
Lord Calvert
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

How many times a month do NASA launch something into space. Probably allot
more than they say.


The Niagara Frontier is quite a significant distance from any space launching
site. There is a guard/reserve military airbase nearby at Niagara Falls but
nothing they have could have looked anything like this.

I would have thought that if this was man-made (and it certainly appeared to me
that it was) that there would have been some mention of it somewhere.
  #9  
Old July 2nd 04, 08:13 PM
Lord Calvert
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

How many times a month do NASA launch something into space. Probably allot
more than they say.


The Niagara Frontier is quite a significant distance from any space launching
site. There is a guard/reserve military airbase nearby at Niagara Falls but
nothing they have could have looked anything like this.

I would have thought that if this was man-made (and it certainly appeared to me
that it was) that there would have been some mention of it somewhere.
 




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