Bolide Story

Bolide Stories

My first experience with meteors occurred when I was a child. It was late March or early April and my family went fishing and camping. I remember that Dad and I walked from our camp to the boat ramp and were looking at the stars. Suddenly a large meteor 'shooting star' cut across the sky. Looking back on it now, it was as bright as and about two times the size of Venus. Dad and I marveled at the appearance.

2000

I was in East Texas visiting my Grandparents and had to get some star viewing in. I was outside by myself, like usual, and Dad came out to see how I was doing. Suddenly, cutting across the sky was a brilliant meteor.

Mid-March 2001
My family was enjoying a camping trip to East, Tx and we decided to give night fishing a try. Dad, Carrie, and I went to the boat ramp and setup our bait. A bright light gave me quite a surprise. I witnessed a fire ball. The meteor struck low across the sky to the North. I saw it cover about 25 degrees of sky. It was 4 times larger as Venus and as bright as the full moon. It broke apart in to three smaller parts before disappearing from sight. I asked my family if they had seen it. My sister, Carrie, said she caught a glimpse of its reflection in the water. Dad had missed it completely.

My previous experience with meteors was only through bolides and five meteors during the Geminids in my light polluted sky in Houston. I was not prepared for what the Leonids held for me. Dreams of the night haunted me as I feared that I would be let down. Yet, as Mark had predicted, the sky was full of meteors. Several bolides were viewed during our 12am to 6:30 viewing. Looking back, this is the first time I had ever seen a bolide without Dad alongside me. In his place I had Mark, sister, and new found friends. A dream of a life-time...fulfilled!

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