Another Large Fireball Over New Mexico

December 16, 2007 at 1059 UT ( 3:59 am MST)


All Sky Movie With Sound

This fireball may have been a late Geminid, two days after the peak. Not sure. It is being analyzed now. It is coming from
the close vicinity of the Geminid shower radiant. In the movie, north is at the top of screen, and east is screen left.

Forward scatter radio frequencies are 61.250 MHz and 83.250 MHz. The radio fireball was received primarily on
the 61.250 MHz transmitter and weakly on the 83.250 MHz transmitter.

Please play this video with your speakers on to hear the forward scatter reflection.

FB20071216_1059ut_Ashcraft.mp4
 3.9 MB  22 seconds

Same movie as above but in .divx movie format
FB20071216_1059ut_Ashcraft.divx  1.2 MB

Below is the radiospectrograph. Fireball shows at top right of chart.
 It is interesting to note that large fireballs like this one often make relatively weak radio reflections
commensurate to their size.  Not sure why this is.


Critical comments and analysis welcome


Thomas Ashcraft
Radio Fireball Observatory       35.50  North Lat.  105.89  West Long.  
North Central New Mexico
mail

For more astronomical specimens click below: