Fireball seen from LA area (another one)

OK, have to post on this one since the Palomar all-sky is down and it
appears to be the second one tonight seen from the same general area
(Southern California... again near John Wayne airport!), only 4 hours later
(10:04 PM PST local time)...

2005-01-05 22:04 PST
2005-01-06 06:04 UTC

N 33° 40', W 117° 49'

Seen from city of Irvine while driving the 405 Freeway South past Jamboree
Rd (E-SE), through the right side of front windshield; about 30 degrees
above and traveling parallel to the horizon, and approx. parallel to the
road (E-SE). Approx. 60 degrees in length from start to finish. Extremely
vivid green as seen through slightly obscuring low clouds.

First instinct while driving, near the airport, with the slight clouds, was
that it might be a plane coming down on the roadway; then considered the
possibly it was a firework rocket (too long a path and straight as an
arrow). Do not believe it could have been a laser effect, though it was a
very pure green color from start to finish.

After following it for several seconds it just seemed obvious that it was a
large meteoric object. The view was spectacular through the light clouds;
would have been truly amazing without any.

- Nth

"Nth-virtual" wrote in
news:OB6Dd.78737$QR1.62443@fed1read04:

OK, have to post on this one since the Palomar all-sky is down and it
appears to be the second one tonight seen from the same general area
(Southern California... again near John Wayne airport!), only 4 hours
later (10:04 PM PST local time)...

2005-01-05 22:04 PST
2005-01-06 06:04 UTC

I was out around this time taking images of comet Machholtz.
Too bad I missed it. It probably happened while I had my eye
stuck to the eyepiece manually guiding. (piggybacked camera)

I did see one small meteor while I was waiting for a dark
frame to finish. Was faint, very fast, and very green. It
came from the direction of Orion towards the western horizon.
It passed through or very near the head of Cetus.

The Quadrantid shower peaked on the 3rd, but it's radiant
is in Bootes, which works for the fireball I saw last night,
but not for the little shooting star I saw tonight.


N 33° 40', W 117° 49'

Seen from city of Irvine while driving the 405 Freeway South past
Jamboree Rd (E-SE), through the right side of front windshield; about 30
degrees above and traveling parallel to the horizon, and approx.
parallel to the road (E-SE). Approx. 60 degrees in length from start to
finish. Extremely vivid green as seen through slightly obscuring low
clouds.

I can visualize where you were at that time. But was the
meteor travelling from right to left, or left to right?
If from left to right I think it could have been a Quadrantid
as the radiant at that time would have been a bit behind
of directly left of you towards due northish.


First instinct while driving, near the airport, with the slight clouds,
was that it might be a plane coming down on the roadway; then considered
the possibly it was a firework rocket (too long a path and straight as
an arrow). Do not believe it could have been a laser effect, though it
was a very pure green color from start to finish.

After following it for several seconds it just seemed obvious that it
was a large meteoric object. The view was spectacular through the light
clouds; would have been truly amazing without any.

- Nth


Brian
--
http://www.skywise711.com - Lasers, Seismology, Astronomy

"Can our form of government, our system of justice, survive if one
can be denied a freedom because he might abuse it?" -- Harlon Carter

Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?

"Skywise" wrote in message
...
"Nth-virtual" wrote in
news:OB6Dd.78737$QR1.62443@fed1read04:

I was out around this time taking images of comet Machholtz.
Too bad I missed it. It probably happened while I had my eye
stuck to the eyepiece manually guiding. (piggybacked camera)

I did see one small meteor while I was waiting for a dark
frame to finish. Was faint, very fast, and very green. It
came from the direction of Orion towards the western horizon.
It passed through or very near the head of Cetus.

The Quadrantid shower peaked on the 3rd, but it's radiant
is in Bootes, which works for the fireball I saw last night,
but not for the little shooting star I saw tonight.

LOL - I just realized your sighting was posted 2 days earlier, not just 4
hours earlier! Guess I was THAT excited about it all ;-) But FWIW, after
looking at a sky map, the one I saw would have been just below Orion,
heading towards the ESE, not the West (it was kind-of traveling along with
the car...)