UPDATE: What the heck WAS that thing?!!

[rockgremlin]

This morning as I left my house for work at about 6:00 am, I saw what appeared to be fireworks in the sky. I asked myself "Why would someone be out here launching off fireworks at 6 o'clock on a Thursday morning?!" I stopped the car, rolled down the window, and watched. Turns out it wasn't fireworks at all...

It began as a wide stream of what appeared to be sparks, heading south just over the top of the La Sal mountains. The stream continued south, growing in brightness and width until it was directly east of me in Monticello. From there, it continued south into Arizona, and began to dim and eventually fade out. Little pieces or chunks would fall away from the main stream as it hurtled through the sky, and the entire event lasted about 90 seconds.

I'm guessing it was a large meteorite that was in the process of breaking up as it entered our atmosphere. When I arrived here at work, guys were on the radio chattering about a "UFO sighting."

Definitely the coolest thing I have ever seen in the night sky!!

[derstuka]

So did you wake up in a ditch with a sore ass Rock?? You better check for an anal probe!

[Udink]

Wow, I'd love to have seen that! Something that lasted that long must have been at least softball-basketball sized. I'm sure pieces of it made landfall, and with as many people that saw it, it'll probably be on the news. Maybe if we're lucky somebody snapped a photo or video of it.

[tanya]

Related?

Authorities were trying to identify a mysterious metallic object that crashed through the roof of a house in eastern New Jersey.


Nobody was injured when the golf-ball sized object, weighing nearly as much as a can of soup, struck the home and embedded itself in a wall Tuesday night. Federal officials sent to the scene said it was not from an aircraft.

The rough-surfaced object, with a metallic glint, was displayed Wednesday by police.

"There's some great interest in what we have here," said Lt. Robert Brightman. "It's rather unusual. I haven't seen anything like it in my career."

He said he hoped to have the object identified within 72 hours, but declined to name the other agencies whose help he has enlisted.

Approximately 20 to 50 rock-like objects fall every day over the entire planet, said Carlton Pryor, a professor of astronomy at Rutgers University.

"It's not all that uncommon to have rocks rain down from heaven," said Pryor, who had not seen the object that struck the Monmouth County home. "These are usually rocky or a mixture of rock and metal."

Pryor said laboratory tests would have to be conducted to determine if the object was a meteorite.

Police received a call Wednesday morning that the metal object had punched a hole in the roof of the single-family, two-story home, damaged tiles on a bathroom floor, and then bounced, sticking into a wall.

The object was heavier than a usual metal object of its size, said Brightman, who added that no radioactivity was detected.

Brightman would not disclose the address of the house or the names of the people who lived there, citing the family's desire to not talk to the media. He would only say that the couple and their adult son live in a township housing development.

Brightman said one man who lives at the home found the object at about 9 p.m. Tuesday after returning from work and hearing from his mother that something had crashed through the roof a few hours earlier.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which sent investigators to the town, did not know where the object came from, said spokeswoman Arlene Murray.

"It's definitely not an aircraft part," she said. "I can't speak beyond that as to what it might be."

In the neighborhood later in the day, residents chatted with each other in the streets about the fallen object, but none said they knew which house had been hit.

Robert Nalven, 55, said nothing this exciting had happened in the six years he's lived in the affluent development. "I'm happy it didn't hit my house," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/.../fallen_object

[Iceaxe]

So did you wake up in a ditch with a sore ass Rock?? You better check for an anal probe!

[rockgremlin]

So did you wake up in a ditch with a sore ass Rock?? You better check for an anal probe!

No, stuff like that doesn't happen on school nights!

I would've killed to have my camera. The tail on this thing must have been miles long!!

[rockgremlin]

Just found a link. Apparently I wasn't the only one "waking up in a ditch" this morning.

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=62596

Possible meteor or space junk seen all over the region

KUSA - Beginning at 6:15 Thursday morning 9NEWS was flooded with calls from viewers, many of whom said,

[derstuka]

So did you wake up in a ditch with a sore ass Rock?? You better check for an anal probe!

No, stuff like that doesn't happen on school nights!

I would've killed to have my camera. The tail on this thing must have been miles long!!

You forgot your camera again??? First you miss out on the topless chicks sunbathing nude, now a UFO? C'mon Rock, pick up the slack!

Sounds like an awesome sight to see. Photos will not do justice I am sure.

[Udink]

A news camera in Colorado caught it on video. Damn, that's awesome!

http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/M...1&locale=EN-US

[shlingdawg]

Very cool video. I saw something similar to that in Buenos Aires a few years back. Cool stuff!

[psl53]

Rock and we all thought you were smoken something, I gotta get up and out earlier............. Na .......
Very Cool.

[rockgremlin]

Apparently, it was a rocket!

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=62596

NORAD: Rocket body re-entered the atmosphere

KUSA - Beginning at 6:15 Thursday morning 9NEWS was flooded with calls from viewers, many of whom said,

[basilone0331]

Don't believe the cover story.

[RedMan]

I saw this as well. What a great show!!
We were up ( 3am ) early expecting some good meteors but this was simply incredible.
If you are ever in Denver join us at the Chamberlin observatory near DU.
http://www.infosavvy.org/events.html
This is the coolest old observatory, it has an scope built in 1894.

Last Jan 3rd was no where near this spectacular. I wonder if we can get Norad to crash something every year?

Here is a list of times when you can might find me freezing my ass off in the dark.

ANNUAL METEOR SHOWERS:
Jan. 3 -- Quadrantids
Apr.21 -- Lyrids
May 4 -- eta Aquarids
Jul.28 -- delta Aquarids
Aug.11 -- Perseids (best of summer)
Oct.21 -- Orionids
Nov.17 -- Leoinds (best of fall)
Dec.13 -- Geminids
Dec.22 -- Ursids

WHEN AND WHERE TO LOOK: Generally best seen after midnight toward the east, as the earth 'runs into' the cometary debris stream that causes these. The showers appear to "radiate" from their namesake constellation, but usually the rate is fewer than ONE PER MINUTE

[rockgremlin]

Here is a list of times when you can might find me freezing my ass off in the dark.

ANNUAL METEOR SHOWERS:
Jan. 3 -- Quadrantids
Apr.21 -- Lyrids
May 4 -- eta Aquarids
Jul.28 -- delta Aquarids
Aug.11 -- Perseids (best of summer)
Oct.21 -- Orionids
Nov.17 -- Leoinds (best of fall)
Dec.13 -- Geminids
Dec.22 -- Ursids

WHEN AND WHERE TO LOOK: Generally best seen after midnight toward the east, as the earth 'runs into' the cometary debris stream that causes these. The showers appear to "radiate" from their namesake constellation, but usually the rate is fewer than ONE PER MINUTE

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be sure and pack the camera on those dates.

[RedMan]

I wouldn't expect a lot of repeats of this AM.

If anyone is interested in a GREAT deal on SC scope this is a steal.
Save you about $800. It is absolutley perfect.

The 8" SCs are a perfect blend of capable and portable.
They can easily do astrophotography and with the GPS system, PC software
and DC adapter you can go anywhere and simply select the objects from the database and it will find them for you. You don't have to be a trained observer to use this scope.

BTW its not mine, I just heard about it last night.

http://www.infosavvy.org/forsale.htm...or-Meade-54000
http://www.scopetronix.com/lx200gps8.htm