Bright Fireball Research Articles

A Very Bright Fireball with an Enduring and Drifting Train*

A Very Bright Fireball with an Enduring and Drifting Train*

Meteors

ON November 9, about 21h 25m G.M.T., Mr. J. E. Daly, in North London, saw a meteor of magnitude equal to that of Jupiter, moving from the direction of the planet Saturn towards the west. Its motion was nearly parallel to the ecliptic, and its path was over 30 °. No other observations of this meteor were reported, so it is impossible to give any details of its real path. On November 20, at 8h 23m, a bright fireball was seen by two observers in Rathmines and Mullingar, travelling from south-east to north-west. The body of the fireball gave out an intense bluish-white light, and it had a trail two to three times the apparent diameter of the moon. As it was quite light at the time, it was impossible to describe its path with sufficient precision to enable its height, etc., to be computed. If it had been dark at the time, it is certain that the fireball would have been a very imposing sight.

Bright Fireball of November 14

AT about 8.45 p.m. on November 14, a very bright fireball was seen by a number of people in different parts of Ireland. All the accounts agree in describing it as extremely brilliant, showing lights of various colours—white, blue, and red—and moving fairly slowly earthwards. Some of those who saw it allege that it lighted up the country, a road being visible for half a mile ahead, or the earth being as bright as day. Many people were terrified by the apparition, and one girl collapsed with fright. Most of the accounts come from Dublin and Wicklow, but it was also seen in Co. Tipperary, and a correspondent there describes it in terms almost similar to those used by others in eastern Ireland, namely, “it seemed very close at hand and lighted the whole place up”. A report from Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland, asserts that three minutes after its disappearance a dull rumbling noise like distant thunder was heard. No one has given its position at beginning or ending with reference to the stars; indeed it does not appear that any stars were visible, at least for the observers in eastern Ireland. For this reason it is quite impossible to compute its path. Judging by the vague descriptions of its direction, it was probably falling nearly vertically somewhere about the middle of Ireland, probably a little towards the west.

Our Astronomical Column

A BRIGHT FIREBALL.—A splendid meteor was seen on May 9, 9h. 10m. G.M.T., from Bristol, Cardiff, London, Weston-super-Mare, and other places. Special interest attaches to the object, for it appears tohave descended to very near the earth's surface, if, indeed, it did not actually fall to the ground. The meteor traversed a path of about 60 miles in 55 seconds, and fell from a height of 54 to 12 miles. Combustion occurred over Radnor Forest, and the meteor apparently disappeared over a point 10 miles east ofBarmouth. If the object was enabled to travel in a compact form about 15 miles further, it must have alighted on the ground in the region some ten miles south of Bangor, Carnarvonshire, but no intimation hasyet been received that a meteorite has been found, or was seen to fall, there.