FOIA: Sighting at Albuquerque, NM 25FEB50 Classified Meteor

NM_FEB_25_1950_CASE_2.pdf
Sighting of Object at Alberquerque NM 25FEB50 (ASTRO-Meteor)
This file is the report on a sighting in Albuquerque, NM on 25FEB50 of a single teardrop shaped greenish white object classified as a meteor
Document date: 1950-02-25
Department: Unknown
Author: Various
Document type: Report
pages: 4


Archivist's Notes: This file is in good legible condition. From the description by the witness this object travelled in one direction and seemed to burn out. This sighting seems to have been classified correctly.

This document is a report of an object reported by Brooks Cerrey, a University of New Mexico student on February 25, 1950. He described as three times the size of a shooting star, tear drop shape with a tail and greenish white in color. He said it fell straight down and appeared to burn out.

This report must have been part of the investigation of the Green Fireballs, led by Dr. Lincoln LaPaz, that were seen in the New Mexico area. The object was classified as a meteor and certainly sounds like one, but why were there so many of these meteors in this area and nowhere else?

Related FIOA Documents:
FOIA: Green fireball over TX, NM, AZ causes investigation for impact point

Related ATS Discussions:
The Green Fireball Mystery of New Mexico

Related Links:
TinWiki article: Green Fireballs
Wikipedia article: Dr. Lincoln LaPaz

Hal9000 has done an excellent job of presenting this report, so I can add nothing to it in substance, except some follow-up questions.

Do any of our math whizzes have a number for the likelihood of so many green fireballs localized in space and time to this extent? In other words, what are the odds that these green fireballs would occur in so great a number at this particular time frame and in this one general area, yet be so sparse everywhere else?

I realize that it is the composition of the burning objects, meteors, that would effect the color. And I realize that they could have all originated from the same area of space, and therefore have the near same composition. But logic would indicate that if this were so, and they were on a narrow trajectory, they would remain in a "band" spread from somewhere around the Carolina coastal region all the way to southern California, and more or less evenly spread out over the entire states in that bandwidth.

Yet, aside from these reports in the American southwest, green fireballs seem to not be very common. They do occur, but not anywhere near on the order of regularity as here. And they were not much reported so heavily even in that area either before or after a time frame of about 1948 through 1952-53.

What caused such a brief and intense shower of these green fireballs?

I have seen what I feel to be the exact thing described here. It was about ten years ago in N.W. Arkansas. Me and my older brother were stepping out the back door of the house and we both caught it for a brief second. This thing was bright and looked like a green ball fired out of a roman candle only with a slight tale. It was heading north west and falling to the horizon at about a 35 degree angle (rather shallow). It "flashed" increased in intensity about twice in the second it was in view. It was BRIGHT, the sun was setting and it was not even near dark outside and this thing stuck out like a sore thumb. We never heard a sound from it but it looked as though it would have had to touched down, or burnt up prior to. Immediately me and my brother turned to each other and said at the same time "did you see that!". I'll never forget it and remember it vividly as it was one of the coolest things I have seen, Nice find!