Dátum: 1997. október 19., vasárnap (09:32 UT) |
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EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- It wasn't the end of the
world. It just looked like it to those people who
saw a cosmic fireworks show over Southwest skies.
A midday meteor streaking above West Texas and New
Mexico on Thursday sent residents scurrying to
their phones to report what many feared was an
airplane exploding or some kind of aerial
collision.
Robert Simpson saw it from his home near Fort
Davis and was delighted. But then, he had a better
idea of what it was.
"It always kind of floors you," said Simpson, a
spokesman for McDonald Observatory, 175 miles
southeast of El Paso.
The meteor appeared at 12:47 p.m. as a flash about
as bright as the surface of a setting sun, he
said.
The reports -- of the light, an explosive blast
and a smoke trail -- are all consistent with the
appearance of a daytime meteor, also known as a
fireball or bolide.
"If it had happened at night it would have lit up
the countryside as bright as day," said Bill Wren,
another observatory spokesman.
As it was, it was pretty spectacular.
Fire and police agencies in El Paso County and
southern New Mexico were flooded with reports of
an explosion that shook homes and jangled nerves.
A police helicopter flying about 25 miles east of
the city spotted about an acre of scorched ranch
land, and authorities believe it could be where
the meteor hit. But the foreman of Cooper Cattle
Co. ranch said he didn't think so.
"We had two different fires out here a couple of
days ago during the lightning storms," said Dub
Pruitt.
Some residents saw the flash; others heard only a
shuddering boom.
"It shook the whole damned neighborhood," said Tom
Tyra, a Horizon City resident. "Everybody came out
of their house."
Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Related stories:
* Meteorites a bonanza for collectors -
November 27, 1996
* Talk about a big bang: Giant meteor may have
hit Ontario - October 17, 1996
* Meteorites carry stardust memories billions
of years old - March 19, 1996
Related sites:
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* McDonald Observatory - University of Texas
* Meteors - Norwegian Astronomical Society
* Meteorite Central
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