Re: [Utah-astronomy] Location of this morning's burst
Noting that: 1) The Frisco peak observatory is almost due south of the sesimograph air burst coordinates: 113d 11m 27.60s W Air burst longitude 113d 16m 58.22s W Frisco peak obs longitude 2) From the 11/17/2009 SLAS meeting presentation on the new observatory that the control shed is located north of the observatory pier roughly on a north-south line. 3) That the bolide as seen in the U of U Frisco peak video appears to descend roughly north-south (slightly north-north-east to south-south-west) at an angle: http://www.physics.utah.edu/~springer/fpo/video/meteor_20091118_cam2.asf One could conclude that any possible meteorite fragments would be located well inside the Dugway security zone. See Google map at: http://tinyurl.com/ybds2rz for the airburst location with respect to the Dugway exclusion zone. There is a "notch" in the Dugway exclusion zone northeast of, I believe Fish Springs, on the Pony Express, Simpson Springs Callao Road. There is state dirt road that runs north from the Pony Express Road into this "notch" and that then enters the Dugway Proving ground. For 1 1/2 miles on the west side of this north-south running road, but outside the exclusion zone, the Google satellite terrain map shows a sand or salt flat area. This area is about 20 to 25km south south west of the airburst marker. I do not have any meteor hunting experience and or know if the identified strip is appropriate ground to do a search over. Presumably, a line of GPS equipped searchers could walk a north-south track west of the state road without inadvertently crossing into the Dugway exclusion zone. Can't say I'd know what to look for. - Kurt P.S. - Before going to see "2012" this weekend, I'd like to start an internet rumor that the bolide was in fact the Selenites' reply to NASA's recent LCROSS "bombing of the Moon" for which, as all tin-foil hat wearers, MUFO members and tri-lateral commission conspiracy theorists know, was only a cover story for a U.S. Space Command military operation against the Selenite capitol. -:)
Snow on the ground will complicate any recovery effort. I've heard speculation that it was a stony body, meaning metal detectors will probably be of no use. Any updates on planned fragment recovery efforts?
participants (2)
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Canopus56 -
Chuck Hards