* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: UK Fireball

Blobrana · L

It should be noted that the vintage OPS 8386 satellite has a 98.07° orbit and was visible from the UK around 30 minutes after the reported fireball sighting (using the latest orbital data).
It is not predicted to re-enter until the 10th March, 2012.

Blobrana · L

Background information
Meteors become visible between about 65 to 120 kilometres above the Earth. They disintegrate at altitudes of 50 to 95 kilometres. Meteors have roughly a fifty percent chance of a daylight (or near daylight) collision with the Earth. Most meteors are, however, observed at night, when darkness allows fainter objects to be recognised.
Source

Blobrana · L

IR satellite image for 22:00 UT, 3rd March, 2012

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Credit EUMETSAT/Met Office

Blobrana · L

There is a remote possibility that it was as big as a house and that it skipped on top of the atmosphere and flew off into space. But more likely, it was very small, and is now at the bottom of the English channel. But, it is still too early to say for sure.
There didn't seem to be any explosions, or disintegration, of the meteor - so that might mean it was quite dense (say iron); and that lessened the likelihood that pieces could be found along the flight path.

There is an online impact calculator to see what affects it would have if it were really large and did land...

Livvvy · New

Yes that looks like it. Thanks. It would be interesting to find out what happened to it. I feel lucky to have seenit. It was sheer luck. I often stand outside to look for shooting stars and only ever see them out of the corner of my eye. This certainly made up for it :0)

Blobrana · L

Revised path, with possible dropzone in the English Channel

Blobrana · L

UK Fireball 03.03.13

Blobrana · L

UK Fireball

Blobrana · L

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Ed ~ Updated flight path now passes over Poole, dorset.

Google earth file: Uk Fireball 030312.kmz (2kb, kmz)

The ground track seems to indicate a ~173° flight path, with an (as yet) unknown entry angle (but probably less than 30°). This, with the slow speed, the lack of any sonic booms or noise may indicate two possible scenarios; that it was a relatively small 'popty ping' sized rock that burned up over the English channel, or intriguingly, that it was very big, high and shallow, and skipped back out into space.

(Based on information from Berkshire, Manchester area, Bradwell, 2 webcam locations, and importantly from Forfar)