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Sunday, September 29, 2013
A NASA meteor expert who reviewed images of the meteor that appeared over Alabama on Saturday estimated that the fireball was just a few inches in diameter.
Dr. Bill Cooke, lead scientist for NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office in Huntsville, said the organization's meteor cameras in the Southeast do not turn on until twilight, but he was able to review eyewitness reports, several pictures and a single mobile phone video.
"It looks like the meteor originated over North Alabama in the Gadsen/Fort Payne area, and moved east southeast, finally burning up over Atlanta," Cook said. "The images and the video lead me to estimate the fireball's brightness to be similar to the crescent moon, which means the meteoroid was a few inches in diameter."
He also noted that another bright fireball appeared over Atlanta on Sept. 22 – almost exactly a week ago – but the two incidents do not appear to be related.
For less than 10 seconds, a bright flash of light was visible over north and central Alabama, according to more than 200 eyewitness sightings posted on the American Meteor Society's website.
The AMS has mapped the reports it received from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Accounts from Alabama eyewitnesses range from the scientific to the spiritual.
"It was beautiful. Life affirming. I feel very small," a Birmingham witness said.
An eyewitness in Bryant-Denny Stadium reported that she was surrounded by screaming Alabama fans when "the fireball appeared in the sky above the upper deck and burned brightly with a tail of fire and disappeared within about 5 seconds."
The reports come just a few weeks after a bright fireball passed unusually close to the earth's surface at 8:18 p.m. Sept. 9 and solicited reports of sightings from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
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Keywords: NASA meteor expert ,Alabama,fireball,Dr. Bill Cooke, Huntsville Al.,meteor, Atlanta Ga.,American Meteor Society,
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