Could I have Heard a meteorite?+ were they eta equa
So this morning at work I was able to set up my D90 for some timelapse/ meteor shots.
As I was setting up and taking a few test shots, angling the camera and looking up I heard a ( hard to describe) faint whoosing sound and thought it was some sprinklers starting up - we have a lot of these on the golf course-. Then pretty much at the same time this brilliant large(ish) meteor shot across my field of view.
It was white/orange(ish) in colour, went for ages ( in my stunned sense of course) and left a very distinguished trail of vapour(?) which also lasted for a while ( I guess maybe a second )."Smoke like vapour trails, dispersing rapidly with a very faint glow"
It wasn't sprinklers going off and cant think of any other sound that could have caused the sound I heard. It was dead quiet before and after. I have read about people hearing meteorites while they race through the sky, but I would like some confirmation..........
It streaked across the sky near ( I THINK) Arcturus - Spica that area. Using my fist as a measure for length it was about 8 fists wide ( if not longer) as for Alt probably at the height of Spica and going from North to West at about 02:15hrs.
THEN later after setting the camera up for sunrise with the planets in a different location, I was walking back to go inside when ( as I always do, looking up ) had a fantastic view of a similar 'meteor' going the same way and in the same area as the earlier one ( no sound this time). It was shorter ( in length) but same colour, vapour trail and heading. Time was about 05:00hrs and I couldn't tell if it was higher or lower than the first ( my guess is higher).
It did seem to be smaller ( nucleus wise), but just as intense.
I had a look at starmap pro on ye ol' iPhone but none of the meteor showers were in the vicinity or radii in the same direction.
Well thats my first blurb on the Observational ( jeez thats a long word) forum.......
So I'm guessing they weren't a meteor but possibly some space debris coming down.
Still looking through my time lapse shots to see if I caught some real meteors!!!!!!
Thanks for reading!
Cheers
Bartman
P.S. if anyone in Perth saw these as wel let me know......or clarify what I saw or heard!
What you witnessed was a once or twice in a life time experience, I have only seen one of that magnitude, and yes they can be noisy and smoky for that matter.
Lucky you, by the way, I would like your job, imaging will working, you lucky bugger.
Thanks Leon,
I've been keeping an eye out for you ( on the road and at work - thought you might pop in on your way up North).
I was stunned after the fact cause I matched the sound with the ....well whatever it was. And yes it was what you could say 'smokey'. The vapour trails on both were quite distinct...almost glowing.....
I should add that to the observation.
"Smoke like vapour trails, dispersing rapidly with a very faint glow"
I can image whist at work only cause it is quiet at the moment ( and it's a grave yard shift I do twice a week). I can see my camera through the window at one spot and the other is on an enclosed terrace but outside with no access for others so I can leave it alone doing its time lapse thing. So I might spend 5- 10 mins setting up then go back to work.
[Safe travels Leon, and if you get to Broome go to Gantheume point and take some sunset shots ( or even Cable beach) . Very stunning !!!!]
I experienced this when I was a kid back in the late 60's. We were camped on a secluded beach & I was still awake & just staring at the stars (swag/no tent) & this huge fireball barrelled in, with associated noise. I'm still convinced whatever it was, made landfall.
Woo Hoo! I wish I'd been there too!
I've only experience hearing one meteor before. To me it sounded like a Sparkler burning.
Thanks Nettie,
Yes yes yes ...that hissing sound from a sparkler....grrrr cant spell the sound.... sooo frustrating!
kerrchshshhshshhsh........(in a very soft tone) attempt hehehehe
Seriously though.... space junk or meteorite?
Is there a website that has predictions of space junk re-entry trajectories?
I've read that space junk is more green in colour
None the less It was really cool to observe twice in a span of a few hours.
Bartman
Will do Bart, do you live in that direction mate, as we are slowly moving up the Coast heading that way, we head for Denham tomorrow and probably stay there for a couple of days, then on to Carnarvon after that.
Whatever the shower was around 2000 I was walking home from a very ordinary session when I spotted one right in front of me, so low, so bright, the opposite direction to where I was looking all the time.
It made a noise a whoosh buzz kinda thing, I thought it was the powerlines sparking or something at the time but the noise stopped when the meteor went. After asking in here, I was astounded like you, to find that the noise was real. Your brain just cant associate a noise like that with an object like that at night. I reckon it goes for the most logical thing that it sees nearby, or remembered sound.
Yes, it may very well have been! Im so curious to know exactly what it was now as it was very large. Unfortunately I was in my car listening to music so i didnt hear it! BUGGER.
Let me know if you come across anything, as I will do the same.
I've only seen two like that.
One was over Richmond Hill in SW London. It was massive and pretty low. We all thought it was a jet contrail until it went "krackbang".
The other was about a year ago and in daylight. It was quite small came down about 1/2 a klick away. It looked like a welder's torch, left a little trail of debris and went "ssszzzzztttsizzlepop".
I'd have gone to look for it but the paddock was full of steers who looked 'iffy'.
Wow Bart! How lucky you were to have experienced that!!
After hearing everyone's experiences of hearing noises like Bart did, oh... to dream that I will one day.
Here's something interesting:
My daughter said a few days ago in the direction of East, she and her boyfriend saw a large orange coloured ball with a long trail that travelled for ages (she seemed to think 5 mins- I think that's probably a bit too long). She knows meteor showers, even having recently seen the Geminids with me, and was definite it was nothing as quick as that. Very slow she said. We deduced it to be space junk. I realised there was a thread running on similar topic so came looking for it to read up on the experiences shared here.
Must be lots of space junk coming through at the moment
I got to admit though, if I heard one of those wooshing noises out there all alone in the dark at a silly hour of the morning, think I'd just pass out - right there on the cold, wet grass.
So true. I heard one once at Ilford, looked up and just saw a green light with an orange trail that dissipated like fireworks trail with smoke. It sounded like a bacon rusher too. Yummy.
I have heard meteorites on several occasions one time it caused static on the radio as it broke up overhead with bright green and blue colours, the sound was similar to a sparkler burning, the most memorable sound was one that impacted on the roof of my former place of work.
It was 14th June 2007 at 11:30am; I was working at Lake Haven Recreation centre preparing the Indoor Climbing Wall for a group of students for school sport when a very large bang occurred on the roof ventilation louvers.
I thought it was school children throwing a large rock onto the roof, when I tried to open the lovers they were stuck fast, later that afternoon with much more force I tried to open the louvers again.
As the louvers opened I noticed that a rock seemed to be stuck on the louvers and the stainless steel louvers seemed to have a dent and a small burn mark on them. When I removed the rock I realized it was in fact a Stony/Iron Meteorite (see below).
Just imagine if the Louvers were open at the time of impact, it gives new meaning to the saying “he has rocks in his head”.
Incredible story there Wayne.
I wonder if anyone has ever been hit over the head by one of these . Shouldn't laugh I suppose, still laughing tho . I wonder what they smell like as soon as they hit. That would be amazing- to smell one!
Incredible story there Wayne.
I wonder if anyone has ever been hit over the head by one of these . Shouldn't laugh I suppose, still laughing tho . I wonder what they smell like as soon as they hit. That would be amazing- to smell one!
-. Then pretty much at the same time this brilliant large(ish) meteor shot across my field of view. 
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