Los Alamos Conference on Aerial Phenomena, 1949

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Confcrcn~e on AERIAL PHENOMENA
Page 10
Dr. LePaz: Due to the foct th:lt they have
curve, and p:roctically all. ti!tes
during vhich de.rlmeos is with us, why they tend to come in f'ram that direc­
tion....
Dr. Br~~hury: Uould it be a t'houer?
Dr. IsPo.t.: That wao my tirat el:!)lanat1on, as a Jlltltter of fact. Geminate
sh0r.-ers 111th o rnax:trme of Deceober 10 to December 12. The i"ir ~ evidence that
I had 1.~r Sgt. Kinaley'o report on De~ember 2 and oinco often the torenumers
or the ol~-era will • • • • • I thought ve were t6lking about Geminate ehoirero
except ttat I never obacrvcd a green Ge::nina.te. Mttcr of fnct, e. check of
obr,c1'Vationo made at tha.t t
e found that there uere 414. observations eince
19-5 and tb.ero wmi0t a single one, Geminate or non-Gcninate, for Which any
hue of f3Ieen was ucmtio.ned.
L!lter, for instance on ~
night of December 12,
you coul<i ,m.tch the Gem1na.te c~3 dow.. . . . and notice the.t they Cflma 1n at
high angles to the horizontal, whereao the green fireballo . . . . . Incidentally,
ve hnve onother interesting piece of eVidence thero - Dr. Shel"!D.lll Smith :t'ram
tho Utdversity - I mention en .baervation that h made on the came night. ihe
tim- of the oboervation is 1n d1 putc. According to Dr. S?Dith it we probCLbly
ao late s 10:50. He bad to wait for a 10118 till:.e, he so.la., for hie vife to
pick him up after the concert -ma over. Mrs. Sm!t.h., ho-vever, times it aroUJJd
10:10. Ubntever the time., witllin cm hour or say an hour and n halt after the
green fireball e.nd the horizontal path verc ob5ervcd, 11e have another enreme~
bright bla.e f'ireboll CCC!!e out of' the Gcmin:1te re.yo.
I mention this beeauoo
some of' the f'irnt persons to concern themselves v.Lth this problem suggeut that
the green fireballo 1:rere si:m;ply nbnomally bright Oeni.nntee. Apporently you
ce.n have "l'ery l.e.rge Gcminate till.ls of the color eotillla.tcd by a trained ..•...
checked wtth the opec~ cbar-'.;s •••.. 1c quite diot!mt, I assure you, f'r<Xll
the green f'ireball.o.
C<Edr. l" ldelkorn: nov good 1a the covera.ge of the oboervers ~ the Americmi
Meteor Society cs far o.o the to:p-lw.11" of the, United Sta.tea is concernedf
Dr. LllPaz. It depends a good deal upon overcast conditions.
I vould o~,
however, that thio year the .t:aetern half ot the country has otter"4 pbenomeml
observing conditiono.
Ozie of' rr,y reaooru; for vithdraving from Ohio Sto.tc vns
that a:fte1· 13 ~o there I had g1ven u_p hope of ever cee:tne a meteorite chower
bee uoe during the oeaoon ~ n:sx1mu:m intencity of' the fa.Us w had he:lvy over­
cact, sr.,0, end oo torth.
On the other land, this year they're had rcna011abl.y
open ckieE •
I have obtained no reports from people 1n the.t part ot the
country.
'Pe thought ve had a definitive check bccauae Harvord College has nov
installed c. pho'togra!)hic me"b:!or station near or pos ibly inside the Vhite
Sanda Pro~"ing Ground. Since the 12th of December, you correct me if I
exaggeratf here, uc have been trying to d tel'Ll1ne the color and other cmx-c.cter­
iGtics of the ten or 12 brighteot meteors ob:..orved at thnt tation. We otill
don't knov vhnt they sav. l'1e knov th y were operating and they made ane
photogroph.a, but Captain Neef c:m probably tell you the red•t4p0 cbarmellzatiou
impediments that hao dropped out any- determina+iozw better then I can.