Meteorite: IT WAS CLOSE, I THINK!
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,424
Likes: 34
From: London,England
Meteors (and meteorites, obects that are big enough not burn up and end up hitting the ground) are very common, I often see 4-5 every time I do a night flight of more than an hour of so. The well known showers such as the Leonids and the Perseids (happening now) can produce huge showers and a good one is one of the true wonders of the sky. Check out:
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/calendar.html
for an online guide to the regular showers.
Amazingly over 3000 tons of material enters the atmosphere every day, most of it burns up but a fair bit hits the surface and a quite a lot gets collected by people, have a look at e-bay, there is a lot for sale. Most shops that sell rocks, fossils and minerals also sell meteorites, they are sold by the gram but you can get a little lump for £20-£30. If anyone in the UK is near Kew there is a great little shop near the station thats sells some lovely stuff.
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/calendar.html
for an online guide to the regular showers.
Amazingly over 3000 tons of material enters the atmosphere every day, most of it burns up but a fair bit hits the surface and a quite a lot gets collected by people, have a look at e-bay, there is a lot for sale. Most shops that sell rocks, fossils and minerals also sell meteorites, they are sold by the gram but you can get a little lump for £20-£30. If anyone in the UK is near Kew there is a great little shop near the station thats sells some lovely stuff.
Joined: Jan 1999
Posts: 341
Likes: 0
From: Europe
Sometimes looking for these beautiful things is the best thing to do on a night flight to keep alert!
My best view of one has been somewhere over the Saudi Arabian desert on our way to DXB where a very bright meteor (bright white with a greenish tinge) "appeared" to come quite close to us and seemed to be below our level when it extinguished, but that could be due to the earth's curvature...
My best view of one has been somewhere over the Saudi Arabian desert on our way to DXB where a very bright meteor (bright white with a greenish tinge) "appeared" to come quite close to us and seemed to be below our level when it extinguished, but that could be due to the earth's curvature...
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 115
From: UK
You are absolutely correct but at least my old mate had hopefully eliminated nacht jager Bf110s and the rest of the Luftwaffe from the equation!
Seriously; just last month I had a young F/O flying with me who became absolutely convinced that Venus was an "opposite direction with the nose light on" and since the bearing was not changing, then maybe we had better move.
I was quite happy about that for he had never seen this phenomenon before. Needless to say, a ten degree heading change didn't work!
We had a good laugh afterwards and the occasion reminded me of when I was his age and at his stage of aviation experience.
History repeated itself - he bought his captain a beer and then I bought him several!
Seriously; just last month I had a young F/O flying with me who became absolutely convinced that Venus was an "opposite direction with the nose light on" and since the bearing was not changing, then maybe we had better move.
I was quite happy about that for he had never seen this phenomenon before. Needless to say, a ten degree heading change didn't work!
We had a good laugh afterwards and the occasion reminded me of when I was his age and at his stage of aviation experience.
History repeated itself - he bought his captain a beer and then I bought him several!
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: birmingham
meteors
Interesting subject.
Saw the same while heading south FL270 north of england a year or so ago.
This meteor crossed our path very close directly ahead and burnt up just below our level. The final fizzling out "display" had, i remember, blue/green and orange colours. very impressive.
hope to see this display again someday.
Saw the same while heading south FL270 north of england a year or so ago.
This meteor crossed our path very close directly ahead and burnt up just below our level. The final fizzling out "display" had, i remember, blue/green and orange colours. very impressive.
hope to see this display again someday.
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 509
Likes: 0
From: Darraweit Guim, Victoria
Many moons ago I recieved a call from a PN68 near Griffith in New South Wales along the lines of "Ah, Melbourne I can see a, SH!T...." Transpired he was going to report a green flare in the distance, when it suddenly got very big and zoomed directly under and relatively close to his aircraft.
That left him on descent, at night, over a dark unpopulated area, and completely dazzled to the point he had no visual reference to the ground and couldn't read his instruments.
He levelled off and flew on autopilot for a while until he got his night vision back and landed safely.
Other flights I was speaking to saw the meteor as far away as Canberra, 160nm away.
As for the biggie coming our way - Here comes Planet Vogon!
Love the nose-ring/trotter line
That left him on descent, at night, over a dark unpopulated area, and completely dazzled to the point he had no visual reference to the ground and couldn't read his instruments.
He levelled off and flew on autopilot for a while until he got his night vision back and landed safely.
Other flights I was speaking to saw the meteor as far away as Canberra, 160nm away.
As for the biggie coming our way - Here comes Planet Vogon!
Love the nose-ring/trotter line
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
From: South-East England
There was a meteor shower on Monday night (12th). I was plodding up the Bay of Biscay at FL360 and saw about a dozen.
I've been told they were dust particles not much bigger than a grain of sand, but they looked pretty spectacular nonetheless.
I've been told they were dust particles not much bigger than a grain of sand, but they looked pretty spectacular nonetheless.
