That Meteorite Fall in Chicago

From: James Turley - Sky Image Lab (jturley@No-Spam)
Date: Fri Apr 25 2003 - 20:50:53 MST

  • Next message: Bob Czerwinski: "Another Astro Quiz"

    Some of you may remember a post on TAC about the Steelworker whose house
    was hit and penetrated by a meteorite and bounced off the walls. He's
    the guy that called his boss and asked for the day off...Boss replies:
    "Don't use that excuse again".

    Well..here's a follow up story:

    CHICAGO METEORITES

    On the night of March 26th, shortly before midnight, residents of
    several Midwestern states witnessed a dazzling -- and, to many,
    frightening -- spectacle in the sky. A brilliant fireball appeared over
    central Illinois and moved north, ending its fiery descent through the
    atmosphere in at least two bright flashes just south of Chicago.
    Powerful sonic booms soon shook the landscape and were detected as far
    away as western Canada.

    Shortly thereafter, many people in the suburban town of Park Forest
    awoke to the sound of rocks clattering down on their neighborhoods. Paul
    Sipiera (William Rainey Harper College) and James Schwade (Planetary
    Studies
    Foundation) have been mapping the extent of the meteorite fall. "At
    least six houses and three cars in the town of Park Forest and
    surrounding area were damaged," Sipiera says. He estimates that the
    debris fell in an elliptical-shaped strewnfield approximately 10
    kilometers long and several wide....

    > http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/current/article_936_1.asp

    +++++++++Previous TAC Post++++++++++++++++

    A Steelworker is quoted saying:

    "...The rock punched a hole through the roof and ceiling, shredded a set
    of venetian blinds, ricocheted off a metal window sill, shot about 15
    feet across the bedroom and shattered a floor-to-ceiling mirror before
    coming to rest on the floor."

    I could have gotten hit in the head by that thing,"

    Guess he wasn't wearing his hard hat.

    See:

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-030337meteorite,0,610488.st
    ory?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed

    James



    The Astronomy Connection -- Mailing List Archives