EMAIL, 12/30/99 1:24:38 PM Pacific Standard Time: UFO Starts Swamp Fire - (LAROSE) -- Several people in rural Lafourche Parish southwest of New Orleans called the sheriff's office claiming a bright, blazing object streaked across the night sky, broke in two and set a marsh ablaze. Even though no hard evidence was found except for burned areas, local scientists say the U-F-O was probably a meteorite that did not burn up in the earth's atmosphere. Air Traffic Controllers at nearby New Orleans International reported no planes in the area at the time and say nothing showed up on their radar.

Subj: Fwd: (meteorobs) Possible re-entry over Slovenia???
Date: 12/30/99 12:44:34 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: fl_botomy@hotmail.com (Joseph DiVito)
To: bardsquill@aol.com

>From: ANON
>Reply-To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>To:
>Subject: (meteorobs) Possible re-entry over Slovenia???
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 11:43:59 +0100
>
>Last night, as I went to bed, I checked up the sky through an open window
>in my room. I spent some 5 minutes watching Canis Major and Orion. Then
>at 01:10 (00:10) I spotted a slow moving object due south moving eastwards.
>I first thought it was a satellite - it started at 2. magnitude and quickly
>brightened
>to -1. magnitude, staying this bright for some 10 seconds and then faded.
>It covered some 70 degrees in 20 seconds. During the flight it appeared
>that
>several pieces broke off the main body, the brightest being 2. magnitude.
>It was orange in color.
>I've seen a lot of meteors, but none was comparable to the thing I saw
>yeasterday.
>
>Clear skies!
>
>ANON

Subj: Fwd: (meteorobs) Re:Low Slow Meteor
Date: 12/30/99 12:43:23 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: fl_botomy@hotmail.com (Joseph DiVito)
To: bardsquill@aol.com

>From: ANON
>Reply-To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>Subject: (meteorobs) Re:Low Slow Meteor
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 17:37:50 EST
>
>Dave, I did not see anything like described to my south (looking toward
>Oceanside) about midnight (last night?). I did see a -4, white,
>fireball, 12-28/29-99, 7 h 32 m UT (11:32 PM PST) toward my southeast. I
>was
>hoping someone in Southern California had seen it also to check my
>"Apparent
>Path": Begin: RA = 8.5h, DEC = 0 degrees (Azimuth = 130 degrees, Elevation
>=
>45 degrees. End: RA = 9h, DEC = -5 degrees (Azimuth = 130 degrees,
>Elevation = 35 degrees.
>
>Dave, you are so close to US Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and are aware
>of their activities, but you should know what RJ and I saw a few Sundays
>ago
>during the middle of the day. Due south from our location about 70 degrees
>Elevation, we saw a high altitude Jet, then all of a sudden it shot out a
>missile! If my reckoning is correct, that missile trajectory would have
>impacted at least in East Imperial County and maybe even Arizona. The war
>games seem to be a lot different than I remember from living in San Diego
>County and perhaps you saw another new/odd but interesting part of some war
>game.
>
>Clear skies,
>
ANON
>Anaheim, CA

Subj: Fwd: (meteorobs) "Suspected Meteorite Sparks Fire" event, 12-26-99, Louisiana...
Date: 12/30/99 12:46:21 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: fl_botomy@hotmail.com (Joseph DiVito)
To: bardsquill@aol.com

>From: ANON
>Reply-To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>Subject: (meteorobs) "Suspected Meteorite Sparks Fire" event, 12-26-99,
>Louisiana...
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 23:51:48 -0600
>
>From Richard, amateur astronomer, in Lafayette, LA.
>
>AP wire story reports *possible* meteorite event, 26 Dec. 1999,
>at 19:55 CST, near LaRose, appx. 30 miles east of Lafayette, LA.
>
>Title: "Suspected Meteorite Sparks Fire," appearin in the
>29 Dec. 99 edition of the Baton Rouge, LA *Advocate* newspaper.
>
>Link:
>
>Summary: Possible fireball meteor observed E to W, 20-30 sec.
> Eyewitnesses claim pieces of it fell in marsh, started
> large marsh grass fire. Sheriff's deputies from LaFourch
> Parish investigate, find "burn area" in marsh, but
> no meteorite fragments. New Orleans airport had no
> radar trace of alleged meteor; also, no aircraft in
> specified area at the time.
>
> Unknown if any scientific investigators have gone
> to the site. A brother-in-law's geologist friend
> also saw the object traverse the sky, and concluded
> that it was characteristic of a meteor fireball.
>
>If anyone has additional first-hand information, or knows of a
>scientist team that went ot investigate the site, please post it on this
>list.
>
>Thanks for considering my information,
>
>ANON
>Amateur Astronomer
>Louisiana

Subj: Fwd: (meteorobs) Louisiana meteor
Date: 12/30/99 12:48:03 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: fl_botomy@hotmail.com (Joseph DiVito)
To: bardsquill@aol.com

>From: ANON
>Reply-To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>To:
>Subject: (meteorobs) Louisiana meteor
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 23:27:42 -0800
>
>Hello, list:
>
>I am getting reports about a meteor and possible meteorite impact in
>southeastern Louisiana near the towns of Larose and Cutoff in Lafourche
>Parish. A meteor that appeared to split was reported at 7:55 PM CST on
>Sunday night (December 26), and the local Sheriff's Department and the
>Coast Guard reported finding a burned area "about a mile long." It's
>not clear whether this is a round area or a strip (I haven't had a
>chance to call the Sheriff yet), and there's no information about the
>magnitude or direction of motion of the meteor itself.
>
>On this limited information, it doesn't really sound like an actual
>meteorite impact, but has anyone else got any further information about
>this? Is anyone on the list in a position to have seen it? Thanks for
>any help you can give.
>
>Happy New Year everyone!
>
ANON

Subj: Fwd: (meteorobs) Low Slow Meteor?
Date: 12/30/99 12:49:47 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: fl_botomy@hotmail.com (Joseph DiVito)
To: bardsquill@aol.com

>From: ANON
>Reply-To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>To: meteorobs@jovian.com
>Subject: (meteorobs) Low Slow Meteor?
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 11:12:13 -0800
>
>Asking for sightings close to midnight for low and slow orange
>meteor north of Oceanside. Chance it was a military flare but it
>traveled about 3 degrees toward me and gained apparent altitude and
>lengthened from a +2 orange dot about 1 arcminute wide to about 5
>arcminutes long while dropping some sparks, it also seemed to be two
>main parts. No binculars! Going after my dog and ignored my premonition
>to grab the binoculars. Thought it may be a flare until it lenghtened
>and divided into two horizontal parts. It was seen at about 20 degrees
>and moved up to about 25 degrees high. The object was visible for a
>considerable time as it moved SSE from NE of Oceanside. Near point long
>period meteor?
>
> ANON
> Oceanside, California