well the one i saw was big i mean really big,its like seeing a sumo wrestler flying threw the sky.the trail of the light was pretty damn wide,it lasted for a while,like you could blink and you'll still be able to see it ,the only other person i knew that saw it was my cousin.............so what i saw was a shooting star or was it something else..oh yeah it had happen a couple months ago,i know its kinda' late
2007-09-01 01:42:01 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It probably was a bolide or fireball, a very bright meteor.
2007-09-01 01:45:37 · answer #1 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Fireballs are just about the coolest things you ever get to see when outside at night. They shoot across the sky, sometimes leaving a thick glowing trail that lasts for several seconds. Sometimes the trail is intermittent. I have seen only a few in nearly 35 years of observing, and I remember each vividly.
Congratulations!
2007-09-01 02:36:26 · answer #2 · answered by Faesson 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fireball, yes.
But it might also have been a chunk of "space junk" returning to the atmosphere and burning up. All those booster rockets and satellites and things we send into orbit eventually come back down. If a big enough chunk of something came back, it would look like a big fireball.
Look up the term "skylab" and you can read about the most famous example of a satellite re-entering the atmosphere. People in Australia found hunks of it that made it to ground.
2007-09-01 01:53:38 · answer #3 · answered by chocolahoma 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, it was a shooting star, more correctly called a meteor.
Probably started about the size of a small marble and burnt up in the upper atmosphere due to its speed.
They quite often leave a trail of ionized gas which can last for a couple of seconds.
2007-09-01 01:47:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A really big meteor like you saw is called a fireball. Sometimes, you can see it spinning and breaking apart into smaller flaming chunks as it streaks overhead.
They are rare to see but quite spectacular!
2007-09-01 01:49:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the orbit . If u see it start to glow and passes from your vision it was probably material in orbit. Something from deep space comes in very direct headed to the center of earth.
2007-09-01 03:28:05 · answer #6 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah it could have been a meteor. Where did you see it? I saw some amazing ones in southern california.
2007-09-01 01:51:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You probably saw a large meteorite developing into a 'Fireball.' I once saw one, it was a spectacular sight.
2007-09-04 05:29:20 · answer #8 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no doubt,you have seen an authentic UFO.
2007-09-01 02:01:04 · answer #9 · answered by Billy Butthead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋