Thanksgiving Meteor Likely Exploded In Gunnison County
Scientists Say Meteor Was Size Of Filing Cabinet
POSTED: 6:00 a.m. MST December 3, 2002
UPDATED: 5:02 p.m. MST December 3, 2002
DENVER -- A fireball witnessed by hundreds on Thanksgiving night likely was caused by a meteor that exploded in the sky somewhere between Gunnison and Crested Butte.
Witnesses said the fireball appeared at 6:20 p.m. Thursday and
illuminated entire mountain ranges.
It lingered for seven or eight seconds and was followed by a
series of sonic booms, physicist Chris L. Peterson, a member of the
Denver Museum of Nature & Science's meteorite investigation team
said Monday.
Based on the fireball's brightness and duration, Peterson
suspects that the rock weighed 1,000 to 2,000 pounds before it
entered the atmosphere and blew apart.
It probably was about the size of a filing cabinet, bigger than
the usual basketball-size variety, he said.
Peterson, owner and operator of the Cloudbait Observatory west
of Colorado Springs, is analyzing more than 260 witness reports
posted on his Web site.
Those accounts suggest that the fireball exploded 10 to 20 miles
above the ground in the remote mountainous region in western
Colorado.
Some debris may have pelted the earth, he said.
Members of the meteorite investigation team also are reviewing
videotape from some of the 10 "all-sky cameras" that the museum
recently installed at schools throughout Colorado.
In addition, museum researchers are trying to acquire videotape
from private security cameras that may have captured the event.
Additional Resources:
Witnesses said the fireball appeared at 6:20 p.m. Thursday and
illuminated entire mountain ranges.
It lingered for seven or eight seconds and was followed by a
series of sonic booms, physicist Chris L. Peterson, a member of the
Denver Museum of Nature & Science's meteorite investigation team
said Monday.
Based on the fireball's brightness and duration, Peterson
suspects that the rock weighed 1,000 to 2,000 pounds before it
entered the atmosphere and blew apart.
It probably was about the size of a filing cabinet, bigger than
the usual basketball-size variety, he said.
Peterson, owner and operator of the Cloudbait Observatory west
of Colorado Springs, is analyzing more than 260 witness reports
posted on his Web site.
Those accounts suggest that the fireball exploded 10 to 20 miles
above the ground in the remote mountainous region in western
Colorado.
Some debris may have pelted the earth, he said.
Members of the meteorite investigation team also are reviewing
videotape from some of the 10 "all-sky cameras" that the museum
recently installed at schools throughout Colorado.
In addition, museum researchers are trying to acquire videotape
from private security cameras that may have captured the event.
Additional Resources:
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Saw the meteor? File your report online with Cloudbait Observatory
Previous Stories:
- November 29, 2002: Reports: Giant Fireball Streaks Over Colorado Sky
- November 18, 2002: Meteor Spotted In Southern Colo. Sky
- October 10, 2002: Colorado Couple Finds Rare Meteorite
- October 8, 2002: Another Meteor Spotted Monday Night
- October 7, 2002: Bright Meteor Seen Streaking Across Sky
- September 6, 2002: Meteor Spotted Streaking Across Sky
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.








