dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (05/31/85)
Fireballs, or bright meteors, aren't particularly rare. More on what to do if you see one -- after this. May 31 Fireball! It's not unusual, at some time in your life, to see a fireball -- a very bright meteor -- a brilliant streak of light that slices across the sky -- maybe even in the daytime. A fireball starts out as a piece of debris moving through space. It may have moved through space for billions of years before encountering the Earth -- and taking the fiery plunge through Earth's atmosphere. Very few fireballs ever reach the ground. But when one does fall to Earth, and someone finds it, it's valuable as a pristine sample of the material in outer space. If you do see a fireball, there's no sure way to tell whether the object fell to Earth's surface. Even huge chunks of debris would disintegrate in the atmosphere if they're made of flimsy material. But if you see a fireball, and you think it may have survived its fall to the surface of the Earth, the most important thing to remember is the fireball's exact path across the sky. Try to fix its path in your mind -- where it started in the sky and where it ended -- with respect to whatever stars are near -- or to buildings or trees. Try to estimate its brightness -- did it light up the landscape or cast shadows? Listen carefully for any possible accompanying noise -- that's a possible indication that it fell somewhere nearby. Write it all down as soon as possible -- and also include the date, time, weather conditions and your location. Then report your observation to a local science museum or planetarium. They'll know what to do next. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin