Help Shape the Future of Space Exploration

Join The Planetary Society Now 

Join our eNewsletter for updates & action alerts

   Please leave this field empty
Blogs

See other posts from October 2009

Headshot of Emily Lakdawalla

Netherlands fireball

Posted By Emily Lakdawalla

2009/10/14 05:58 CDT

Topics:

I was debating whether to write anything about a reported fireball that streaked across the sky in the Netherlands at roughly 19:00 local time (17:00 UTC) yesterday, October 13, but seeing this image ended my internal debate. Wow!

Fireball over the Netherlands, October 13, 2009

Robert Mikaelyan, Groningen, The Netherlands

Fireball over the Netherlands, October 13, 2009
Robert Mikaelyan acted fast as a bright meteor streaked across the sky at about 19:00 local time (17:00 UTC), snapping six photos of the meteor over three seconds.
There are more of the same here (website's in Dutch).

Daniel Fischer is collecting links to various sources on the meteor, and included one to a German forum where lots of images were posted showing the dissipating trail of the meteor. The observer was in Bremerhaven, about 80 kilometers to the northeast of Groningen, where the fireball photos were taken. The Bremerhaven observer reported seeing the bolide as well -- maybe in two pieces -- and that it took four or five seconds to cross his sky.

Dissipating trail behind the Netherlands fireball

Maciej Libert, Bremerhaven, the Netherlands

Dissipating trail behind the Netherlands fireball
Maciej Liebert of Bremerhaven captured several photos in the aftermath of the fireball that crossed the sky of the Netherlands on October 13, 2009 after about 19:00 local time (17:00 UTC).
A reader pointed me to something cool which I also now see is posted on spaceweather.com: the apparent detection of a boom from the bolide on an infrasound array.
Infrasound detection of Netherlands bolide

Läslo Evers, KNMI

Infrasound detection of Netherlands bolide
An infrasound array, designed to listen for ground-shaking events, apparently detected the explosion of the Netherlands bolide witnessed by thousands on October 13, 2009.
As dramatic as these photos are, such fireballs are actually a relatively commonplace event. They're a reminder that Earth orbits in a solar system shooting gallery, but that our atmosphere protects us against all but the biggest impactors. This one's only unusual because it happened over a densely populated area at a time of day when there were lots of people out and about.

Comments:

Leave a Comment:

You must be logged in to submit a comment. Log in now.
Facebook Twitter Email RSS AddThis

Blog Search

Support our Asteroid Hunters

They are Watching the Skies for You!

Our researchers, worldwide, do absolutely critical work.

Asteroid 2012DA14 was a close one.
It missed us. But there are more out there.

I want to help

Fly to an Asteroid!

Send your name and message on Hayabusa-2.

Send your name

Join the New Millennium Committee

Let’s invent the future together!

Become a Member

Connect With Us

Facebook! Twitter! Google+ and more…
Continue the conversation with our online community!

facebook.png twitter.png rss.png youtube.png flickr.png googleplus.png