Fireball lights up Thai skies

[webfact]

VIDEO : Fireball in sky is a shooting star



BANGKOK: -- The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand said that the fireball which was seen in the sky in Bangkok and several provinces on Monday night was believed to be a meteor or a shooting star.

Dr Sarun Posayachinda, deputy director of NARIT, said that the fireball with a long burning tail witnessed by people in Bangkok and several provinces was suspected to be a small meteor which caught fire as it penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere.

He said there was just one meteor and it burned at a high altitude.

Earlier on September 9, several people in Bangkok and several provinces saw a bright shooting star streak across the sky in broad daylight.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/video-fireball-in-sky-is-a-shooting-star

-- Thai PBS 2015-11-03

[webfact]

Damage from fireball unlikely: astronomer

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The fireball is not expected to cause any damage, said astronomer Boonraksa Sunthorntham, director of the Chiang Mai-based National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand.

He told Nation TV that though the meteor was spotted very near Earth (about 100km), there had been no report that it crashed on Earth.

He explained that the meteor should contain iron-nickel metal for it emitted the green light.

The mysterious comet-like object was spotted in Bangkok around 9.45pm.

Here is the link to a video uploaded on YouTube by a user named "Saran Pol":

On its Facebook page, the Thai Astronomical Society posted: "A bright fireball can be observed in several areas in Thailand. Further information will be reported very soon. In the meantime, you can watch this clip which captured the moment the meteor being burnt through the Earth’s atmosphere.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Damage-from-fireball-unlikely-astronomer-30272150.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-03

[webfact]

Green fireball explodes over Bangkok
Taurid meteor shower may boost fireball sightings this week
CBC News

BANGKOK: -- A dramatic green fireball lit up the night sky over Thailand today as it streaked past and exploded.

The apparent meteor was captured in several dashcam videos from vehicles in Bangkok just before 9 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET).

Fireballs are meteors brighter than the planet Venus. The one seen in Thailand was a special kind called a bolide, which explodes in a bright flash after streaking across the sky.

Fireballs are known to be produced at high rates during some years by the Taurid meteor shower, which takes place each October and November.

According to the American Meteor Society, 2015 may be a year with an unusual number of Taurid fireballs, which peak Oct. 29 to Nov. 10.

Full story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/fireball-thailand-1.3299766

-- CBC Canada 2015-11-03

[Wilsonandson]

Great balls of fire!

[EnglishJohn]

All good business for the multitudes of doomsday predictors in Thailand.

No doubt something some Monk wrote 300 years ago will have foretold of this.

[NongKhaiKid]

I can imagine the video footage will be carefully examined by millions in the hope of getting some tips for lottery numbers.

[jacko45k]

My Mrs saw it last night and I told her to put the Regency away.

Frequently get fireworks so I didn't pay much attention.

[AlQaholic]

It's a bad omen, time to bring out the incense, hang twenty lucky medals around the neck, go to a temple and pray, walk 3 times around the local Wat and read the signs from a dead fish's intestines....

[mcfish]

I saw this from Pattaya beer garden and it was jaw dropping, I'm glad I now know what it was

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[SuwadeeS]

We just sat together, as it came up. The movies of it can not show the real colorful meteor.

It was so close to us, you almost could caught it. Such a beautiful natural show.

[Borzandy]

"Thai skies" is it goggle or Thais are really thinking they have several skies.

[daiwill60]

Yes I too saw it form outside my home last night.

Quite a difference between this and a shooting star though, as The National Astronomical Research Institute have stated it have might been ?????

Edited November 3, 2015 by daiwill60

[timmyp]

I only have a little chunk of sky that I can see from my computer room. Last night around 8:30, just as I looked out the window to wish an end to the current job that has been sucking up all my time, I saw a meteor streak across the sky, followed by a bright flash. Sorry to have disturbed all of Bangkok with my wish. I would have saved it for something more worthwhile than an end to my current job had I known the Great Powers were actually listening to me for a change.

I wasn't sure what it was, but a search on Twitter confirmed right away that it was a meteor. Very exciting.

[Coota]

I saw it from my backyard in Surin when I went outside for a piss. Coincidentally a funeral had just started in the village so the wife told me it was a ghost until she saw it on the news.

[empireboy]

I saw this from the balcony of my Jomtien condo and the same evening I saw two more.... one small one and one almost as big.

Quite a night of meteor showers!

[webfact]

NARIT: Green fireball spotted in Thailand’s skies was a meteor

BANGKOK, 3 November 2015 (NNT) – The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) has indicated that the bright green light heading southwest seen in the sky in many parts of the country yesterday evening was most likely a meteor entering the earth’s atmosphere.

The director of NARIT, Associate Professor Boonraksa Soonthorntham, explained that pictures and video images suggest that there is a high probability that the meteor was a “fireball”, which occurs when a meteor enters the earth’s atmosphere at a very high speed. Fireballs occur when friction with the atmosphere causes so much heat on the meteor that it lights up, and when seen from the earth, appears to have a long tail of white smoke. The brightness of the fireball's blaze depends largely on its mass.

This is similar to another recent fireball seen over the central region just two months ago on September 7, but yesterday's object gave off a green light, suggesting that a chromium element was likely present inside, which is typical in iron meteors. Since the fireball was visible in many regions of the country, it also indicates that the meteor was located very high up in the sky.

Assoc. Prof. Boonraksa indicates that there are many objects that can create this kind of phenomenon. First is a planetoid that normally comes close to the earth, second are retired old satellite parts that have been left in orbit, objects which can be pulled from earth's gravity into the earth’s atmosphere.

NARIT pointed out that this phenomenon is exciting as it already happened twice within a two month period and the public organization stresses that the public should not panic, as the chance from damage from such an occurrence is very low. Most of the time, particles will burn out completely before they impact the earth and many meteors enter the earth's atmosphere daily, but most of the time they are seen as shooting stars.

NARIT said that it will continue to gather evidence and will soon officially make a conclusion about the object. The public can help the agency by sending more information, captured video or footage of the occurrence to NARIT or by calling 091-0679658 or 098-0714558.


-- NNT 2015-11-03

[bkk75]

Are we sure it's a meteor and not a crashed alien craft?

If aliens, do they need permit to land in Thailand?

[SOTIRIOS]

...again...???

[NongKhaiKid]

Are we sure it's a meteor and not a crashed alien craft?

If aliens, do they need permit to land in Thailand?

The worthy Minister would count them as tourist arrivals and that's the most important thing.

[AGareth2]

where is the fortune teller now?

[Norrad]

I was on my balcony as it came over. What an amazing sight it was.

[TKDfella]

Taurid Showers usually last until around November 10 but I understand that we may be passing through remains from the comet Encke that is more dense than usual. However this event may not be part of that because the path is somewhat different. Wonder if it was a bit of of that space-junk we've put up there, Ha!

[TKDfella]

Taurid Showers usually last until around November 10 but I understand that we may be passing through remains from the comet Encke that is more dense than usual. However this event may not be part of that because the path is somewhat different. Wonder if it was a bit of of that space-junk we've put up there, Ha!

[starchild5]

They are here....The guys in my Avatar...

We are in very turbulent time folks...Expect market crash anytime now

[kerrysum]

Yes I too saw it form outside my home last night.

Quite a difference between this and a shooting star though, as The National Astronomical Research Institute have stated it have might been ?????

They are called meteors, quite common in the United States.

[wimkuijp]

Again????

[Ghostnigel]

Never seen my Mrs move so fast, we were out in the street, outside the house, she was sweeping up. the second she saw the 'meteor', she just dropped the broom and pan on the floor and went straight into a wai position in half a second tops, she was still buzzing an hour later. well excited,....don't answer that!!

Edited November 3, 2015 by Ghostnigel

[northernphil]

Great balls of fire!

or ' Burning ring of fire ' Which has nothing to do with somtam.

[todlad]

All good business for the multitudes of doomsday predictors in Thailand.

No doubt something some Monk wrote 300 years ago will have foretold of this.

If this is all you can come up with then you need to mix with a few normal people for a while.

[todlad]

"Thai skies" is it goggle or Thais are really thinking they have several skies.

Is English your native language? If so, then you ought to know that skies in this context is perfectly acceptable. If you are not a native speaker of English ... now you know it's fine to say that.

Goggle? Did you mean Google?