[Chaos-l] What did I see in the sky last night? Perhaps a meteorite headed toward a Virginia doctor's office!

[Jim Pressley]

Folks,
Following up on CHAOS conversations regarding recent sightings of fireballs
in our area, it happens that a meteorite actually did fall in Virginia
around the time under discussion.   According to the article below, *posted
on Jan. 21*, a meteorite crashed into a doctor's office in Virginia.   This
is a very rare occurrence, considering there have been only 3 reported
meteorite falls in Virginia, until now, the most recent occurring in 1924.


Although not citing the exact time of evening, the article indicates this
chondrite fell on *Monday evening (Jan. 18th)*.  This is pretty close to the
time local people witnessed a brighter than normal fireball traveling across
our NC skies.    Perhaps **Amy Kasten was fortunate enough to have witnessed
this very meteorite as it burned its way through the sky.  Her e-mail (also
below) describes an object visible towards the north on Monday evening.
What do you think?    Could this be what she saw?      Jim    **
<http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=080311-meteor2>

*Meteorite Crashes Through Virginia Doctor's Office *

http://www.space.com/news/meorite-virginia-doctors-office.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

Posted on CHAOS on Tuesday, *Jan. 19th*, 2010:
To Whom it May Concern:
I live in Carrboro off 54 and Smith Level road.  I took my dogs for a
walk *last
night* around 8:45/9:00pm and as I looked up in the *northern sky,* right
before me, maybe *30 degrees above the horizon*, fell a burning object.  I’m
not sure if it was a meteor or something else, but it felt very close.  I
saw it start falling and then it grew in intensity and it continued to fall
very slowly for about 5 seconds (not like in a meteor shower where it
streaks far across the sky in a flash).  Also, unlike a shower, the light
path was not just a fine streak in the distance--I saw the grainy, sparkly
fire in the object’s trail.  It reminded me of those fireworks that burn as
they fall (they look like hair, or weeping willows maybe).     from ---Amy
Kasten
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