Tom
I saw it or one like it. I was out at the Rush Valley site and I was looking up at Bootes getting a general idea of where M3 was when I first caught a glimps of it. I quickly focused in on it and I had a great view of it accross the sky. After it burned out I waited and listen for a sonic boom, but perhaps didn't wait long enough as I resumed my search and didn't hear anything. Last night was my first time using the Sky Commander with my scope and I was pretty well consumed by it.
Like you, I thought the tail was great. It was long as well as wide and it had 3 bright streaks in it like pieces of it were breaking off. The tail glowed for quite a while and making the tail very long. I saw 3 or 4 other meteor streaks last night (22nd) but that one was by far the best.
I really like the way you had the presence of mind to coordinate the flight path with the background stars. I didn't, but I think now that having seen the way you did it and now see how important it is if you want to talk to someone about it, I think I will be a better observer next time. Thanks.
Now that I think back on it, and just from memory, I would say I first noticed it farther down (South East) like right above Hydra or maybe Corvus. Airplanes kept catching my attention in that general direction as they approach SLC and at first I thought it was an airplane, but then I saw the tail and so I stood there in awe as it passed overhead. Then in about Auriga or more likely Gemini it burned out. My description doesn't match yours exactly, but that's kind of how I remember it, and I don't have the years of expierence you do either.
Jim
Thomas Sevcik <sfv1ts@hotmail.com> wrote:
While I was out walking and jogging last night (22nd) at the park of of 45th South and just right off I-215 at about 11:24 p.m. a really beautiful meteor appeared. Did anyone else that happened to be out looking to the south at that time see it? I first caught notice of it between Beta Librae and Kappa Virginis traveling in a straight line from east to west. It proceeded under Spica and disappeared north of Delta Corvus. I estimated its magnitude nearly the same as that of Spica. But the thing that really got my attention was how it had a wide tail similar to a comet and as it was traveling, there seemed to be a slight wavering motion in the tail in which you could of fit two full Moons. My daughter who was with me just missed seeing it as I yelled "look at that- look at that!" If anyone caught it on film or CCD I'd be interested in placing a picture of it in the next NOVA.
Clear skies!
Tom Sevcik
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