Re: fireball or reentry ... ?

Tony Beresford (starman@camtech.net.au)
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 23:21:53 +1000

At 13:51 19/11/98 -0600, Steven Rogers wrote:
>There is a phenomena of sound reported coincident with meteor tracks,
>which I'd dismiss except that I experienced it once. It was a good
>size bolide with several explosive bulges in the trail that lasted
>a good 10 seconds. I heard a distinct hiss, and a couple of others
>heard it also, but several did not. This was at a "star party" with
>experienced observers. I think Sky and Telescope did an article on
>the phenomena once, but I couldn't recover it. As I recall, the theory
>was that the "sound" might be related to some electrical discharge
>associated with ionization.
>
>Has anyone else ever heard inexplicable "sounds" associated with meteors,
>or satellites?
>
>Steve
Steve and others, the electrophonic sounds have been confirmed. I post a note about it
by one of the researchers Prof Colin Keay. The words are taken from a post
to a list about NEO impacts & hazards etc called the CC Digest.
============================================
>From Colin Keay phcslk@cc.newcastle.edu.au 
   
..
With great respect may I point out that the above statement is untrue, 
as the published (fully peer reviewed) literature attests. The VLF 
radiation has been detected at least twice to my certain knowledge. My 
model (published in SCIENCE in 1980) was immediately validated by V A 
Bronshten in Moscow. Laboratory tests have verified that VLF em fields 
can be transduced into sounds. There are two distinct origins for the 
VLF: continuous sounds (hissing, etc) are from VLF produced by trapped 
geomagnetic field in the turbulent fireball trail; and sharp sounds 
(popping, etc) arise from explosive events in the bolide itself by a 
similar mechanism to the VLF produced by atmospheric nuclear 
explosions.
 
The method of production of electrophonic sounds from VLF radiation 
generated by very large fireballs is now accepted by meteor fireball 
experts and I believe the CCNet Digest renders its readers a disservice 
by suggesting otherwise. And I trust the AMS will not promulgate such 
misinformation.
 
May I draw to your attention my web-pages which present an outline of 
the work done in this area and provides a bibliography of my work on 
the problem. They may be found at:
                 http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~ddcsk

or it can be located quite readily by search engines such as Yahoo, 
using my name and/or the word "electrophonic".
 
Colin Keay.
  
==============
Tony Beresford