Update: As of Jan 4th 2009Research Is underway to determine if the Merced meteor fireball impacted the ground in Northern California. Scientists and meteorite hunters are on the trail of it and with new data hope to find signs that it hit. Read the full report.
Regarding the Dec 27th 2008 fireball witnessed over Merced, CA.
Subject: Fireball Sighting Report
Date: Dec 27th
Time Of Sighting: 1:50am
Location: Merced CA
Report: Fireball Seen over Merced CA
Name of Witness: Erika Knorn
Coordinates: N/A
Constellations: Unknown
Direction of Travel: SE to NW
Altitude: Less than 35K ft (approximate)
Angle of Decent In Degrees: 60 to 65 degrees
Color of Fireball: Green Blue Gold & White
Brightness: Brighter than Venus
Duration: 6 to 7 seconds
Sonic Boom: Yes
Explosion: Yes
Crackling Static Sound: No
Whizzing or Whooshing Sound: No
Impact Witnessed: No
Have A Meteorite: No
Photo or Video: Forthcoming…
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Witness Report: Merced, CA
On Dec 27th 1:50am Saturday morning I was awaken by my dog shadow who wanted to go outside to go to the bathroom. I put on my sweater walk out onto my patio I was facing west looking up at the stars…standing there for about 10sec I saw out of the corner of my eye coming over my house from the south a very bright ball of light. Still standing in the same spot watching the ball come more into view in front of me. I had my head tilted back approx in an 85degree angle.
As it moved northwesterly, the ball of light started to look like it was moving at a higher rate of speed and it started to have more of a wide short train behind it when it then looked to disappear into some kind of high clouds or fog. When it did this the ball looked to have blew out a perfect tomato green color circle that was very wide, it then look to blow out again this time you could see a wave of flaming blue light in the middle blowing out into a bigger green circle and then by the third surge of colorful bright greenish/blue light the circle had spread out like a thunder strike behind the clouds. This lit up my backyard and a few dogs did bark at it.
The Fireball then came back into view from behind the clouds it looked to be bigger in size and seem to be traveling in a higher pace of speed going more into a downward fall. The ball was at this time in a 60-65degree decent still traveling northwesterly. When it finally blew out into a massive fireworks display of large gold and white sparks that you could almost hear a popping or crackling sound but not sure, you could see black and a brownish dust clouds around the sparks. At this time the gold and white sparkles were falling down and some blew out like a sparks from a firework falling to earth.
The sparks lasted for a few second and I do remember saying to myself. Wow, those sparks are still falling! After they just disappeared you could still see brown dust trails going towards the earth that lasted for just a second or so before I lost view of the dust trail. I was in complete amazement and wide awake by now I was not going to go back in thinking that maybe I will see something else. I was outside for about 50sec to a min when I heard in the distance three booms that muffled together one right after the next. BOOMBOOMBOOM! It started low sounding and got louder by the third boom.
The next morning I got up and called my brother-in-law Ken who lives 45 miles north of Merced, who I knew could help in answering what I some of what I saw and heard. After telling him my story he asked me what time I heard the booms, after I told him he got excited and told me he heard some kind of deep booms at the same time I did. After talking to him, I was happy to hear he heard the same thing. This fireball was truly amazing and is sketched in my memory forever! I could only hope that someone out their video taped or took pictures of this Beautiful Fireball.
Erika Knorn
Merced, California
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Meteorite Hunters and Scientists Are Pouring Over Data
Meteorite hunters and scientists are researching this meteor now to determine whether it impacted the ground. Reports are hopeful but no stones are known to have been found by anyone thus far. If sufficient evidence presents itself to suggest there’s a good chance there might be meteorites on the ground, a recovery team will be formed and they will start a search expedition.
From reports it looks like the meteor was traveling in a Northwesterly direction, and was reported to have been at a fairly low altitude (less than 35K ft or about 7 miles). So far there’s two sightings reported with data that looks promising. There may be enough to triangulate the meteors trajectory and angle of decent from these two locations. This meteors angle of decent was approximately 60-65 degrees as reported from Merced. We’re working now to determine the angle of decent from the point of view of a second sighting.
Hopefully with this new information we will be able to determine whether this meteor actually made it to ground.
Cross your fingers folks…
UPDATE: 4/22/09 – Man Finds Mystery Rock: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/804260.html
