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Huge "Sky Explosion" Investigated

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  • 06-09-2009 1:32pm
    #1
    The Hill Billy
    Registered Users Posts: 22,771 ✭✭✭✭


    Just read this article -
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8239188.stm

    Anybody here experience it?
    Funnily enough there is no mention of it on the Astronomy.ie site.
    BBC News wrote:
    Huge 'sky explosion' investigated

    An Irish astronomy group is calling for help in tracing the origin of a huge explosion in the skies over the country on Thursday evening.

    Astronomy Ireland said it was currently investigating the explosion, which occurred at 2100 BST.

    A spokesman said the most likely explanation was a space rock or satellite crashing into the atmosphere.

    The group wants anyone who witnessed the event to contact its website at www.astronomy.ie

    Astronomy Ireland chairman David Moore said: "So far, reports have been registered by residents in west Cork, Kerry, Cavan and as far north as Donegal, thus suggesting that this spectacular event may have been witnessed by people all over the country.

    "In the past two decades there have been two major explosions in the skies over Ireland.

    "When we investigated these, we were able to conclude that one was a Russian military satellite that exploded over the country, and the other was a rock from space which we predicted would have fallen on Carlow and this rock was indeed found, becoming the last meteorite fall of the millennium."

    Mr Moore said the explosion should not be confused with a hugely-bright star which was positioned just below the full moon on Thursday night.

    "This was actually the planet Jupiter and it can be characterised by being by far the brightest star in the entire night sky," he said.


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    #2
    Slat3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭Slat3


    Yeah seen this a while back but didn't think much about it until today when David Moore was on the afternoon show talking about it. Good find.

    Looks interesting but I wonder why they didn't ask for help on boards first ?


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    #3
    Headspace
    Registered Users Posts: 208 ✭✭Headspace


    I saw it too fairly low in the sky heading West I was in Tralee at the time. It was low enough to be obstructed by by a row of two story houses about 25m away from me. Did anybody else see it so low in the Sky?


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    #4
    Slat3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭Slat3


    Headspace wrote: »
    I saw it too fairly low in the sky heading West I was in Tralee at the time. It was low enough to be obstructed by by a row of two story houses about 25m away from me. Did anybody else see it so low in the Sky?

    That is interesting, where in Tralee ?


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    #5
    Elmer Blooker
    Registered Users Posts: 6,112 ✭✭✭Elmer Blooker


    Astronomy Ireland are now convinced that the meteorite fell in either Cork and Kerry after investigating eye witness accounts. I didn't see it myself but I did see the one that fell in Co Carlow at the end of the millennium mentioned in the BBC report. It was around 10.30 one sunday night when I was on my way to the pub that the whole sky to the sw was lit up by a massive white ball- a fantastic sight!


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