elp allsky

LONG DURATION GREAT LAKES METEOR FIREBALL 9:55 P.M.14JUN2012

2012-06-15T01:28:00.004-06:00

Bright Fragmenting Fireball Bolide Widely Seen From Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ontario Canada 9:55 P.M. 14JUN2012 (02:55 UTC 15JUN2012)

ELPALLSKY is awaiting video from several Sentinel Fireball Network Cameras in the Midwest states. UPDATES WILL BE POSTED AS DATA/IMAGERY ARE MADE AVAILABLE. BOOKMARK THIS SITE FOR UPDATES !!!

Meteor sighted over Grand Rapids: woodtv.com

Large Meteor Fireball Bolide Over Western Oklahoma...Captured By 2 Sentinel Fireball Cameras 05JUN2012

2012-06-06T13:38:00.009-06:00

Western Oklahoma Bolide Recorded On Video At 03:10 UTC 06JUN2012 (10:10 P.M. CDT) 05JUN2012

Direct View Camera-Hawley, TX-courtesy Kevin Palivec

All Sky Camera Hawley, TX-courtesy Kevin Palivec

All Sky Camera Oklahoma City, TX-courtesy James Beauchamp

Composite Full Flight Image courtesy James Beauchamp-OKC Sentinel

Oklahoma City Radar Return-courtesy James Beauchamp

Possible Fall Location (intersection of red lines) Based On Prelimenary Coords. (assuming each camera is oriented with North directly up

ARIZONA FRAGMENTING FIREBALL 31MAY2012 Captured By 3 All Sky Cameras

2012-06-02T14:04:00.005-06:00

Email From:

Carol W.-Phoenix, AZ

My fiancee and I saw this meteorite fall on our way home tonight. We were traveling northbound on the 51 fwy in North Phoenix around 9:20 pm this evening. It was definitely between 9:10 and 9:30 pm. It appeared to travel from west to east heading possibly north. It was very bright and we watched it break into three pieces which quickly turned from bright to dark. It was very bright and seemed close. If you gauge 12 o'clock as due north, straight in front of our car, then I would say it was in the 11 o'clock position. Not sure how to explain. Quite brilliant and large. I hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions. thank you Carol for this report...Others??...email us at wxtx01@gmail.com

From The Kingman AZ Sentinel Fireball Network Camera 9:15 P.M. MST 31MAY2012

From The Parker AZ Sentinel Fireball Network Camera 9:15 P.M. MST 31MAY2012

From The Prescott AZ Sentinel Fireball Network Camera 9:15 P.M. MST 31MAY2012

Northern CA Meteor Fireball Bolide 30MAY2011

2012-05-30T14:11:00.001-06:00

Another Meteor Event Over Northern CA at roughly 01:50 A.M. PDT May 30th, 2012 (08:50 UTC) Produces reported sonic booms. Northern CA All Sky Camera operators, please check your archives for possible imagery. We will update as info becomes available. MEANTIME...If you saw this event, please email wxtx01@gmail.com with your sighting report and I will post it here.
Additional Sighting Reports Available At
Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News

TEXAS METEOR FIREBALL BOLIDE 22MAY2012

2012-05-24T04:17:00.005-06:00

WIDELY SEEN FIREBALL...CENTRAL TEXAS NEAR MIDNIGHT CDT 22 MAY 2012...

Most Reports Indicate Meteoroid Entered Atmosphere Over Central Texas Just Before Midnight CDT 22 May 2012 With Fragmentation and Sonic Booms...Central and North Texas Fireball Camera Operators Notified.

If you saw this event and/or have/know of video, photographs, cell phone pics, security cam footage etc., please email us with those. Also, we need your sighting reports !! Send to WXTX01@GMAIL.COM Please include your location, which way you were facing, direction object traveled (upper right to lower left etc. is OK), approx. duration, any fragmentation, sounds (booms, hisses etc.), color, brightness (as compared to a full moon etc.) Thank you for your assistance with this event!

UPDATE !!......

Texas Fireball Captured By Two Sandia Sentinel Fireball Cameras at 11:55 P.M. 22may2012 (04:55 UTC 23MAY2012)

composite image Hawley, TX - Sandia Sentinel Fireball Camera
in image UP is North and E is Left...click image to enlarge

composite image Coleman, TX - Sandia Sentinel Fireball Camera
in image UP is North and E is Left...click image to enlarge

Hawley Texas Video

Coleman Texas Video

El Paso Texas Video

CALIFORNIA METEORITES FOUND!!! The "SUTTER'S MILL" FALL

2012-04-25T16:54:00.001-06:00

AZ METEORITE HUNTER ROBERT WARD IS THE FIRST TO FIND METEORITES FROM DAYLIGHT FIREBALL OVER NORTHERN CA...22 April, 2012

First Fragments Of The Sunday April 22nd Fireball Bolide Turn Up Between Sacramento And Lake Tahoe

Lisa Warren snapped three quick photos of a meteor streaking across the sky above Reno on Sunday morning, April 22. The meteor created a sonic boom heard over hundreds of miles from the Reno-Tahoe area to Southern California.

This event interested my office neighbor at the SETI Institute, says Peter Jenniskens, an expert in meteor showers who also retrieved the fragments of 2008TC3 in Sudan in 2008. He pointed out that the size of the Californian meteor is very similar to 2008TC3, hence fragments should have reached the surface. Getting fresh fragments of meteoroids, called meteorites, is key for astronomers to understand the composition of those remnants of the formation of the solar system. Fresh fragments are unaltered by the Earth’s weather and erosion processes, so they are pristine samples which can be used to detect organic materials for instance.

On Tuesday several scientists from the Bay Area met at NASA Ames to discuss a strategy for a search campaign. An examination of the radar data map by Marc Fries revealed that dozens of fragments from 100g to 1 kg range may have reached the surface in an area NW of Placerville, in the Gold country.

Radar map by Marc Fries showing the possible location of fragments (green area) of the meteor between Auburn and Placerville.

Robert Ward with the first fragment recovered

Peter Jenniskens discovers a second specimen of what is officially now called, The Sutter’s Mill meteorite.

LIVE VIDEO FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION...NASA COVERING THE LYRID METEOR SHOWER FROM SPACE !!

2012-04-21T23:04:00.001-06:00

To See An Astonishing Live Video Feed From The ISS...Click

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/iss_ustream.html

note: if the ISS video is blank, please be patient and wait for re-acquisition of signal as there will be intermittent signal loss.

FOLLOW THE LYRIDS...LIVE WORLDWIDE METEOR ACTIVITY FROM THE IMO

2012-04-21T19:14:00.004-06:00

The 2012 Lyrid meteor shower will be excellently seen from the entire northern hemisphere and may peak near April 22, 6h UT. Note though that the peak times vary by a few hours every year. Perhaps European observers see highest rates in their morning hours, or it will be even the north-American west coast that experiences the best display. We encourage all meteor observers to find out! A live graph has been set up for showing the results from your observing reports.

click on graph to go to the IMO live page

Submitted by Rainer Arlt More

Shower Analysis

NASA-Sandia Sentinel Camera Network To Participate in "3-D" Lyrid Meteor Shower Study 21APR2011

2012-04-21T01:47:00.004-06:00

FROM SPACEWEATHER.COM

Space Weather News for April 21, 2012
http://spaceweather.com

LYRID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend on the night of April 21-22 when Earth passes through a stream of debris from ancient Comet Thatcher. Usually the shower is mild (10-20 meteors per hour) but unmapped filaments of dust in the comet's tail sometimes trigger outbursts ten times stronger. This year's peak coincides with a new Moon, so lunar interference will not be a problem. The promise of a good display has prompted NASA to plan an unusual 3D meteor photography experiment combining observations from the ground, a research balloon, and the International Space Station. More information, observing tips, and live audio from a meteor radar are available on today's edition of http://SpaceWeather.com Browse the links for more information: observing tips, meteor radar, NASA chat, 3D meteors, Lyrid video.

Editor's Note:

ELPALLSKY, along with a vast array of other Sandia Sentinel fireball cameras will participate in this endeavour. Results will be posted as they arrive on ELPALLSKY and may take several days to complete. Please bookmark this site for continued updates. Sign up for e-mail alerts or tap into our feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/ElpAllsky

ENJOY THE 2012 LYRIDS !!

Possible North Texas Daylight Fireball 20APR2012

2012-04-20T02:37:00.000-06:00

FROM ELPALLSKY 20APR2011...

Nebulous reports of a possible Daylight Fireball Event over north TX at roughly 5:53pm CDT on April 20th, 2012 have been received at ELPALLSKY. These reports were transmitted to us anonymously and we will not post ANY reports on this event until sources can be verified. Please email wxtx01@gmail.com w/ your name, location, date and time, direction you were facing, direction the object traveled (left to right etc. is OK), debris or smoke trail observed, color, and any sounds i.e. sonic booms heard. Thank you!

From "Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News", Tokyo

20APR2012 kenneth wilson Clyde, TX. USA 5:53 central time from my view it was about 2 seconds but could be longer as i lost sight of it behind the trees in my yard i was facing north path of travle was W-S-W to E-N-E at about 20 degrees down. It was out of the clouds when i first saw it then came thru the clouds and disappeared behind the trees in my yard. It was yellow to white in color and i saw it from my angle for about 2 seconds.If Hawley or OKC had there cameras runing they should both have seen it as it was in the area just above the Hawley camera from my prospective. NO sound brighter then venus but not as bright as the full moon. not that i could see none

NASA "UP ALL NIGHT" For The 2012 LYRID METEOR SHOWER 21 APRIL 2012...And Media Contact Info

2012-04-18T01:16:00.011-06:00

composite image of the 2011 Lyrid Meteor Shower peak from ELPALLSKY-El Paso, TX

NASA Again Hosting All Night Chat For The 2012 Lyrid Meteor Shower

In 2011 the bright moon overshadowed visibility for many meteor showers, but now Lady Luna has decided to share the stellar stage. For the 2012 Lyrids meteor shower, a new moon will set darker skies that are ideal for meteor watching.

If you're looking for a fun way to spend an early spring weekend, make plans to stay "up all night" with NASA experts to watch the Lyrids brighten the skies. On Saturday, April 21, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. EDT -- convert to your local time here -- meteor experts Dr. Bill Cooke, Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will answer your questions about the Lyrids via a live Web chat.

Joining the chat is easy. Simply return to this page a few minutes before 11 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 21. The chat module will appear at the bottom of this page. After you log in, wait for the chat module to be activated, then ask your questions!

A live video feed of the Lyrid meteor shower will be embedded on this page on the night of the Web chat, and there will be alternate allsky views being streamed from this allsky camera network.

The Lyrid meteor shower will be viewable all over the world, with best rates seen just before dawn at the location where you're watching the skies. The Lyrids are very unpredictable, with peak meteor rates between 10-100 per hour. This year Dr. Cooke estimates that the rate will be around 15 per hour, though he is hoping for a surprise increase above this!

More About the Lyrids

Lyrids are pieces of debris from the periodic Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher and have been observed for more than 2,600 years. In mid-April of each year, Earth runs into the stream of debris from the comet, which causes the Lyrid meteor shower. You can tell if a meteor belongs to a particular shower by tracing back its path to see if it originates near a specific point in the sky, called the radiant. The constellation in which the radiant is located gives the shower its name, and in this case, Lyrids appear to come from a point in the constellation Lyra.

More About the Chat Experts

Bill Cooke
Danielle Moser
Rhiannon Blaauw

Media Contact:
Janet Anderson, 256-544-0034 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 256-544-0034 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
Janet.L.Anderson@nasa.gov

North Texas Meteor Fireball Reported to ELPALLSKY 16APR2011 04:16 A.M. CDT Captured By Sandia Sentinel Fireball Cameras...EYEWITNESSES, PLEASE REPORT!!

2012-04-17T23:37:00.003-06:00

EYEWITNESS REPORTS NEEDED !!!

At 4:16 A.M. April 16, 2012, Two Sandia Sentinel allsky fireball cameras recorded a significant fireball event over North Texas. If you observed this fireball, we need your reports. Please click here to send us a description of what you saw. Please include your location, the direction you were facing, direction in which the object traveled (i.e. left to right etc.), approximate duration and color and any bright flashes or sounds observed.

image as seen from Hawley, TX-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

image as seen from Oklahoma City, OK-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

Brilliant AZ Meteor Fireball 14APR2012 4:41 A.M. MST (11:41 UTC) Captured By Numerous Sandia Sentinel Fireball Cameras

2012-04-16T21:43:00.031-06:00

as seen from El Paso, TX-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

as seen from near Sierra Vista, AZ

as seen from Parker, AZ-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

as seen from Riverside, CA-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

Breaking Meteor Fireball News...Large Fireball Witnessed...Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky 11APR2012 8:21 P.M. CDT

2012-04-12T23:15:00.001-06:00

MIDWEST FIREBALL 11APR2012 CAPTURED BY SANDIA SENTINEL FIREBALL NETWORK CAMERA at 01:21:22 UTC (8:21 P.M CDT)

image above and video below courtesy Mineral Point, WI Sandia Sentinel Fireball Network Camera

If you witnessed this fireball, please send a description of what you saw to ELPALLSKY (click) Please give time and date, state your location, direction you were facing, direction object traveled (left to right etc. is ok), color, brightness, duration and any flashes seen or sounds heard. THANK YOU!!

Video provided courtesy of SSEC and the AOS Department, UW-Madison

Daylight Meteor Fireball Over Central Texas 11:50 A.M. CDT 02APR2012

2012-04-02T19:28:00.010-06:00

Daylight Fireball Widely Seen Over Central Texas...Please Email Visual Reports, Pictures, Videos To ELPALLSKY (click) !!

02APR2011-11:50 a.m. CD...This event is reported to have lasted up to ten seconds and varied in color. Meteor is said to have had a nearly vertical downward trajectory. If you witnessed this event, please indicate the time, your location, direction you were facing, direction in which the object traveled (left to right etc. is ok) color, and any flashes which may have accompanied this event. THANK YOU!

Email From:

Anonymous-College Station, TX:

It must have been big. I was 50 miles North of College Station traveling south and saw the part that appeared to drop straight down. People as far sought as San Antonio saw it while facing south as well. I have never heard of seeing a meteorite during the day. I only saw it for a few seconds before my view was blocked but it was pretty incredible.

Anonymous-San Marcos, TX:

It was around 11:50 and I was outside of San Marcos off of 21 by the airport. I was working in the field when I saw it fall straight down out of the sky. I was facing in the East direction and it looked like a white light blazing object.

CHANGES TO ELPALLSKY !!

2012-04-01T14:31:00.000-06:00

New Automated Reporting Software Implemented At ELPALLSKY

While these changes are being installed on ELPALLSKY, no new fireball reports will appear.
If a major fireball event occurs,
Report a Meteor/Fireball (link)
or please go to:
LATEST WORLDWIDE METEOR/METEORITE NEWS
to file an eyewitness report, or to see other reports and to get updated information on the event. Thank you for your patience and continued support and contributions to elpallsky and meteor science.

NEW VIDEO SURFACES...NORTH TEXAS METEOR FIREBALL BOLIDE 01FEB2012

2012-02-07T22:02:00.001-07:00

New video of the Feb 1, 2012 Fireball over North Texas posted...

Ontario Canada Meteor Fireball 12DEC2011

2011-12-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

Email From:

Julie C.-Burlington Ontario, Canada:
I was driving eastbound on the Queen Elizabeth Way from Burlington towards Mississauga after work today. I don't know the exact time, but it was around 6p. I saw a green ball of light falling across the sky. At first I thought it was airplane lights, but it was going very fast and downwards as if nose diving. The sky was dark so I did not have a point of reference. Then I thought it was fireworks. It had a tail of light and just vanished. A few seconds after, two OPP vehicles sped past with their sirens blaring. I'm not sure if the two are related. I turned on the radio expecting to hear a news report about it, but did not and have been trying to figure out what it was I saw. There didn't seem to be any explosions and I couldn't tell how far it was.

Florida Meteor Fireball 17DEC2011

2011-12-17T03:11:00.000-07:00

Email From:

Joe B.-Orlando, FL:
At dusk today, traveling on I-4 eastbound just south of downtown Orlando, spotted fireball in the east. Duration of sighting about three to four seconds. Large with clearly flaming tail, greenish color. Small piece seemed to break off and burn out before large mass burned up and disappeared from view. Direction was roughly south to north. No other reports on local news yet. Event witnessed by both my wife and me.

IMPACT !!...Ontario Canada Meteor Fireball Likely Put "Rocks On The Ground" Near Selwyn 14DEC2011

2011-12-16T04:54:00.001-07:00

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO FIREBALL CAMERA NETWORK-ORANGEVILLE CAMERA-~6:00 P.M. Est 14DEC2011

University of Western Ontario astronomers get rare video of meteor’s fall near Toronto

Astronomers from the University of Western Ontario have captured on video, a relatively rare occurrence — a meteor, estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, as it falls from the evening sky just outside of Toronto.The bright fireball or meteor travelled through the evening sky east of Toronto on Monday and was captured by a highly advanced video surveillance system from the university.
Six cameras from Western’s Southern Ontario Meteor Network recorded a slow-moving fireball, estimated to be no bigger than a basketball, at 6:04 p.m. It first entered the atmosphere at a shallow angle of 25 degrees at 14 kilometres per second.
The sighting occurred near the peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower, but the meteor is unrelated to that shower.
The meteor, which was the size of a basketball, originates from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is roughly the age of the solar system and older than any rocks on earth, said Peter Brown, director of Western’s Centre for Planetary and Space Exploration, in an interview with the Star.
Astronomers use the term meteor to describe the fireball as it passes through the atmosphere; prior to entry as it travels in space, it is called a meteoroid and when it lands on Earth it is called a meteorite, Brown said.
This particular meteoroid was part of an asteroid and likely broke off sometime in the last few million or tens of millions years, Brown said. “It has taken a few million years to travel from the asteroid belt to Earth. It just happened on Monday night the orbit of the meteor and Earth intersected.”
And Brown’s surveillance cameras, radar and sound technology were there to record it all in its glory. And now the six different views of the meteor’s descent are on YouTube for the world to watch.
When Brown, a professor in the physics and astronomy department at University of Western, received an automated notification from the network that it had recorded the descent of the meteor, he was excited and hopeful that it might have made its way to Earth. More often than not, meteors burn up in the atmosphere.
It took a day or two, but after calculating its altitude and rate of descent, he was convinced that it likely landed somewhere near the town of Selwyn, Ont., about 160 kilometres northeast of Toronto.
The meteor first became visible over Lake Erie then moved toward the north-northeast ending just south of Selwyn, he explained. Then, as the meteor descended, it likely broke into pieces and dropped several small meteorites — ranging from the size of a softball to grains of sand — along its path.
“Finding a meteorite from a fireball captured by video is equivalent to a planetary sample return mission,” said Brown. “We know where the object comes from in our solar system and can study it in the lab. Only about a dozen previous meteorite falls have had their orbits measured by cameras so each new event adds significantly to our understanding of the small bodies in the solar system.
“It’s equivalent to sending a spacecraft out to an asteroid, grabbing some material and bringing it back for study,” he said.
Each new meteorite studied adds to scientists’ understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system, Brown said.
And it’s hoped that once rocks from the meteorite are found, Brown and his team can begin studying them. They will look at everything from its mineral make up to its weight, mass and even check for radioactive isotopes. All these things pieces of information are like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, helping astronomers build a picture of the geology of the solar system, Brown said.
Researchers from Western and the Royal Ontario Museum want to hear from you if you witnessed the meteor falling to Earth, recorded the event yourself or have found fragments of the fallen meteorite and are asking people to contact Kimberly Tait at ktait@rom.on.ca.
Brown also asks if you live in any of the small towns or communities near the fall zone — such as Clarina, Gilchrist Bay, Woodview and Stony Ridge, all around upper Stony Lake — that you be on the lookout for meteorites. And if you find any, contact the ROM.

Washington State Meteor Fireball 16DEC2011

2011-12-16T03:07:00.000-07:00

Email From:

Jeannie P.-Port Orchard, WA:
I was heading West on Nelson Road in Port Orchard, and all of the sudden, above the trees, looked like a shooting star......but bright white with a streak of orange/red through the center, came from the South (left) of my car, and flew over the trees towards the North...(my right) It was so close that I literally slammed on my breaks an ducked, like a low flying aircraft... there was no sound I could hear. I rushed home to check the internet, if anyone else had seen what I saw. QUITE A SITE TO SEE!!!
The call I made just after seeing it was 11:56pm Friday,12/16/2011 coming from the South heading North in Port Orchard WA, from Nelson Road.
I hope this information helped.
Jeannie P.

Florida Meteor Fireball 16DEC2011

2011-12-16T03:03:00.000-07:00

Email From:

Wayne B.-Fernandina Beach, FL:

Fireball seen Dec 16, 2012 at Fernandina Beach FL app 8:00 PM (did not look at time could be off) In SE sky moving W to E visible 5 sec bright and flaming.
Saw one in NE GA in mid Oct this year. Seen three in my 60+years, two in three months. First in the seventies at Charlotte NC.

Geminid Meteor Fireball Image Captured From North Carolina 14DEC2011

2011-12-14T03:13:00.000-07:00

ELPALLSKY Reader Ken Christison Captures GEMINID Fireball Over Conway, NC 2:23 A.M. EST-07:23 UTC 14DEC2011

Thank you Ken for this great shot. Congrats!

image courtesy and (c) Ken Christison-Conway, NC-click image to enlarge

NASA TO HOST "UP ALL NIGHT" GEMINID METEOR SHOWER CHAT FORUM 13DEC2011

2011-12-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

CHAT WITH N.A.S.A. METEOR EXPERTS ALL NIGHT TONIGHT 13-14DEC2011

quick links: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/geminids2011.html

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/allsky.html

Geminids Meteor Shower: 'Up All Night' With NASA!

12.13.11

False-color composite view of 2008 Geminid meteor shower. (NASA/MSFC/B. Cooke, NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office) View large image

More Information
› Link: All Sky Camera Network
› NASA News: Meteors
› Wikipedia: Geminids Put on the hot chocolate...find a warm, toasty location...and join us on the night of Dec. 13-14 for our "Up All Night with NASA" live Web chat about the 2011 Geminid meteor shower!

The Geminids -- the final major meteor shower of the year -- will be somewhat obstructed by a waning gibbous moon. Anytime between Dec. 12-16 is a valid window for Geminid-watching, but the night of Dec. 13-14 is the anticipated peak.

On Tuesday, Dec. 13, meteor experts Dr. Bill Cooke, Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will be answering your questions about the Geminids via a live Web chat. Join them on Dec. 13 at 11 p.m. EST, then stay up until 5 a.m. EST for the meteor shower.

Joining the chat is easy. Simply return to this page a few minutes before 11 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The chat module will appear at the bottom of this page. After you log in, wait for the chat module to be activated, then ask your questions.

Ustream Feed
A live video/audio feed -- did you know that meteors blip, ping, and whistle? -- of the Geminid shower is embedded below. The camera is mounted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. During the day, you'll see a dark gray box -- the camera is light-activated and will turn on at dusk each evening. Even before the camera activates, you can still hear the audio of meteors passing through the sky.

More About the Geminids
Geminids are pieces of debris from an object called 3200 Phaethon, which is something of a mystery. Near closest approach to the Sun (perihelion), Phaethon exhibits increases in brightness similar to that of a comet; however, its orbit is characteristic of an asteroid. Extinct comet or asteroid? The debate still rages among astronomers.

In mid-December of each year, Earth runs into the stream of debris from Phaethon, which causes the Geminid meteor shower -- a beautiful display of meteors for us to enjoy. Unlike the Perseids or Leonids, the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first reports occuring in the 1830's citing rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased -- it is now the best annual meteor shower - and we regularly see between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. The Moon will hamper that this year, but if your skies are clear you can still expect to see as many as 40 per hour.

One can tell if a meteor belongs to a particular shower by tracing back its path to see if it originates near a specific point in the sky, called the radiant. The constellation in which the radiant is located gives the shower its name; Geminids all appear to come from a point in Gemini, Leonids appear to radiant from Leo, and so on.

More About the Chat Experts
Bill Cooke
Danielle Moser
Rhiannon Blaauw

Major Meteor Fireball Widely Seen over Eastern US 08DEC2011

2011-12-08T05:15:00.002-07:00

METEOR FIREBALL

10:31 P.M. CST-11:31 P.M. EST 08DEC2011

Captured by a Sandia Sentinel Fireball Camera-Lake Station, IN

From ELPALLSKY: 09DEC2011...
Although at a distance on the horizon from the camera, Sandia Sentinel Fireball Camera Operator Steve Witt posts this capture of the widely seen Eastern US fireball which occured at 04:31 UTC (10:31 pm CST-11:31 pm EST) on Dec 8, 2011. Eyewitness reports to ELPALLSKY follow Steve's video below. Thank you Steve, for your diligence!

Email From:

Michelle K.-Montello, WI:
I saw the same thing...it was a bright green ball with a green tail. I was traveling southeast in montello Wisconsin and the light traveled from left to right.

Anonymous Reporter:
A bright green burning meteor seen all over southern Illinois. Tons of people seen it falling in a bright green light then it exploded.

Jason B.-Chicago, IL:
around midnight 08dec11 over Chicago in southern sky a bright white fireball like a low plane came almost straight down from east to west lasting several seconds and breaking into 3 large white chunks with tails.

Pete & Ann O.-De Plaines, IL:
Great website! My name is Pete and I was comming home from Wisconsin on 12-08-2011. I was traveling Southbound on I-294 when around 8PM, I caught glimpse of a huge fireball! I was on the Des Plaines, Illinois area of tollway when at the Eastern part of the sky, there was a bluish-green fireball that had a long tail that seemed to be breaking up. It was traveling about -20* from horizontal and was twice as bright as Jupiter!! I thought for sure I would see this on the news via landing in someone's backyard!

elp allsky

LONG DURATION GREAT LAKES METEOR FIREBALL 9:55 P.M.14JUN2012

Large Meteor Fireball Bolide Over Western Oklahoma...Captured By 2 Sentinel Fireball Cameras 05JUN2012

ARIZONA FRAGMENTING FIREBALL 31MAY2012 Captured By 3 All Sky Cameras

Northern CA Meteor Fireball Bolide 30MAY2011

TEXAS METEOR FIREBALL BOLIDE 22MAY2012

CALIFORNIA METEORITES FOUND!!! The "SUTTER'S MILL" FALL

LIVE VIDEO FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION...NASA COVERING THE LYRID METEOR SHOWER FROM SPACE !!

FOLLOW THE LYRIDS...LIVE WORLDWIDE METEOR ACTIVITY FROM THE IMO

NASA-Sandia Sentinel Camera Network To Participate in "3-D" Lyrid Meteor Shower Study 21APR2011

Possible North Texas Daylight Fireball 20APR2012

NASA "UP ALL NIGHT" For The 2012 LYRID METEOR SHOWER 21 APRIL 2012...And Media Contact Info

North Texas Meteor Fireball Reported to ELPALLSKY 16APR2011 04:16 A.M. CDT Captured By Sandia Sentinel Fireball Cameras...EYEWITNESSES, PLEASE REPORT!!

Brilliant AZ Meteor Fireball 14APR2012 4:41 A.M. MST (11:41 UTC) Captured By Numerous Sandia Sentinel Fireball Cameras

Breaking Meteor Fireball News...Large Fireball Witnessed...Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky 11APR2012 8:21 P.M. CDT

Daylight Meteor Fireball Over Central Texas 11:50 A.M. CDT 02APR2012

**** CHANGES TO ELPALLSKY !! ****

NEW VIDEO SURFACES...NORTH TEXAS METEOR FIREBALL BOLIDE 01FEB2012

Ontario Canada Meteor Fireball 12DEC2011

Florida Meteor Fireball 17DEC2011

IMPACT !!...Ontario Canada Meteor Fireball Likely Put "Rocks On The Ground" Near Selwyn 14DEC2011

University of Western Ontario astronomers get rare video of meteor’s fall near Toronto

Washington State Meteor Fireball 16DEC2011

Florida Meteor Fireball 16DEC2011

Geminid Meteor Fireball Image Captured From North Carolina 14DEC2011

NASA TO HOST "UP ALL NIGHT" GEMINID METEOR SHOWER CHAT FORUM 13DEC2011

Major Meteor Fireball Widely Seen over Eastern US 08DEC2011

CHANGES TO ELPALLSKY !!