Streaking lights, explosions reported all along coast
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:09 am
I saw and heard this last night as I let the dog out. Scared the hell out of me. My dog may never enjoy a good pee again.
By Patrick Wilson
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 30, 2009
Were they meteors? A comet? UFOs?
People from Maryland to Hampton Roads heard loud explosions and saw brilliant, streaking lights in the sky Sunday night.
There was no immediate explanation, the National Weather Service office in Wakefield said. The Virginia Beach 911 center had numerous calls waiting just before 10 p.m., a supervisor said.
The Weather Service said reports were made from Dorchester County, Md., to the Virginia/North Carolina border. People said they saw a streak in the sky and heard an explosion.
“It was orange, like a fireball,†said Steve Wagner, who lives in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake and said what he saw was too close to be a shooting star. Wagner was outside cooking with family when he saw the streak. He said he went inside when his daughter called, then heard an explosion that sounded like thunder.
Chris Wamsley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Wakefield office, said there could be various causes of the explosions and lights. A team of people is looking into what happened, he said.
Alan MacRobert, senior editor with Sky and Telescope Magazine, said the loud boom that followed the brilliant lights probably means the object probably exploded.
There could be meteorites that fell to the ground, MacRobert said.
If enough observers can provide information on the direction of the object and how high it was in the sky in relation to other objects such as buildings or constellations, scientists could figure out where to organize a search.
Observers can report what they saw last night on the American Meteor Society’s page here.
Lindsey Hosek of the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach was jogging along the water with her dog when the sky lit up, she said.
“The bright light at first terrified me because I thought somebody was shining a light on me, and then I saw it, and I was in complete awe because it was so beautiful,†she said.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/streaki ... long-coast
By Patrick Wilson
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 30, 2009
Were they meteors? A comet? UFOs?
People from Maryland to Hampton Roads heard loud explosions and saw brilliant, streaking lights in the sky Sunday night.
There was no immediate explanation, the National Weather Service office in Wakefield said. The Virginia Beach 911 center had numerous calls waiting just before 10 p.m., a supervisor said.
The Weather Service said reports were made from Dorchester County, Md., to the Virginia/North Carolina border. People said they saw a streak in the sky and heard an explosion.
“It was orange, like a fireball,†said Steve Wagner, who lives in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake and said what he saw was too close to be a shooting star. Wagner was outside cooking with family when he saw the streak. He said he went inside when his daughter called, then heard an explosion that sounded like thunder.
Chris Wamsley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Wakefield office, said there could be various causes of the explosions and lights. A team of people is looking into what happened, he said.
Alan MacRobert, senior editor with Sky and Telescope Magazine, said the loud boom that followed the brilliant lights probably means the object probably exploded.
There could be meteorites that fell to the ground, MacRobert said.
If enough observers can provide information on the direction of the object and how high it was in the sky in relation to other objects such as buildings or constellations, scientists could figure out where to organize a search.
Observers can report what they saw last night on the American Meteor Society’s page here.
Lindsey Hosek of the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach was jogging along the water with her dog when the sky lit up, she said.
“The bright light at first terrified me because I thought somebody was shining a light on me, and then I saw it, and I was in complete awe because it was so beautiful,†she said.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/streaki ... long-coast
I hope no one was hurt and I'm glad you and your dog were no more than shaken up by it.