In message <3650E1B1.6520@prodigy.net>, Mark Hanning-Lee <markhl@prodigy.net> writes >Hi, I went out to look at an Iridium flare (which hapened on time). Just >before that, at 18:31 local time 11/16 = 11/17 02:21 UT, I saw a nice >fireball. It moved from approximately E elevation 25 degrees to >approximately N elevation 45 degrees in ~1-2 s. Silent, blue-white, >shedding a lot of reddish particles with 1 larger reddish particle >~mid-track. Magnitude perhaps -6 as referenced to the -4 flare a few >minutes later. > >Not expecting any reentries are we? I'm always expecting a re-entry but this wasn't one - your report implies it was far too fast and probably along a strongly retrograde trajectory. Nor was it a Leonid meteor - it occurred before the radiant rose for your location. Speaking of which (and at the risk of drifting off topic). The Leonids are putting on a fine show as I type this. During a 47 minutes watch from 02:50 UTC, I have counted 77 Leonids, most of them of negative magnitude and leaving glowing trains. Earlier I saw one of (about) magnitude -10 which left a train visible for four minutes as upper atmospheric winds distorted it into a V-shape. US-SeeSaters should have an even better display over the next few hours as the shower builds towards maximum about 19h-20h UTC. Alan -- Alan Pickup | COSPAR 2707: 55d53m48.7s N 3d11m51.2s W 156m asl Edinburgh | Home: alan@wingar.demon.co.uk +44 (0)131 477 9144 Scotland | SatEvo page: http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/