From: ABlainey@aol.com
Date: Sat Feb 01 2003 - 11:39:47 MST
In a message dated 01/02/03 15:14:26 GMT Standard Time, dwayne@pobox.com
writes:
> check news and websites
>
> 2am in australia, nothing at all on TV.
>
> lead news on BBC and CNN.net
>
> Dwayne
> --
Very sad indeed. But this has spooked me out because of the following.
Here is a question for those of you with better maths than me.
Between about 2:50 gmt and 3:05 today I was locked out of my house and
standing on my front step. I noticed in the western sky at about 5 degrees or
so from the horizon, there was what looked like a wide,short con trail
pointing virtually straight down and slightly left. It kind of resembled the
shape of a comet trail but was very short and sqaut. The length was only
about 5 time the width with a blunt pointed bottom and a more pointed top. It
was slightly brighter than the clouds.
It didnt move like the clouds so I could see that if was a long way off and
at high altitude. It did move slightly to the left over a period of 10 mins
while I watched it. My initial thought was that it was a meteor trail or a
near earth brush through the upper atmosphere. After watching it I concluded
it must simple be a very strange cloud.
Now having just seen the news and read the posts about the shuttle, I'm
thinking maybe that is what I saw. But here is the stumper, I'm in the UK!
So here is the maths problem. Could I have seen the break up of the shuttle
of 3000 mile away? bearing in mind the altitude, angle of the sun reflecting
of the break up trail and the curvature of the earth. Could it be due to a
Morgana type mirage magnifying and curving the light from below the horizon?
I'll find out my exact position in Long,Lat the compass heading I was facing
and a more accurate measurement of the angle if it helps.
If the maths say it not posible then, what a weird coincidence.
Alex
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