[AZ-Observing] Re: meteorite photographed hitting Earth
- From: Joe Orman <joe.orman@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 17:13:08 -0800 (PST)
This page shows the unlabeled photo:
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11483286%5E13762,00.html
I can make out the flash at the top of the light pole, and a dark streak
leading to the light pole from the upper left, but the photo is too low-res to
see much detail. I'm EXTREMELY doubtful this is a photograph of a meteorite
impact -- the odds of a meteorite hitting the top of a pole, and a photograph
being taken at the same instant, are (ahem) astronomical. I'm especially
skeptical anytime a photographer says "I didn't notice it when I was taking the
picture, I only saw it when I got the pictures developed." So there was no
other corroboration on the scene -- didn't anybody else see or hear it? If it
was big enough to make a smoke trail and a bright flash, it would have made a
loud bang -- you'd think the photographer would have seen and/or heard it at
the time. There are plenty of more mundane explanations for the photo. For
instance, the flash could easily be a reflection of the sun, which appears to
be behind the clouds at the top of the frame.
Of course, maybe I'm just jealous I didn't take the photo myself!
--Joe Orman
Joe Orman's Photo Pages:
http://pages.prodigy.net/pam.orman/JoeGallery.html
Christine Shupla <shuplac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Someone shared this on another listserve and I thought some of you would be
interested in it; I haven't fact-checked it or confirmed the source
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11483286%255E13762,00.html
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