Did meteor hit near Dugway?

Published: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 10:25 a.m. MST
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There's new evidence that Wednesday morning's spectacular fireball meteor may have landed in Utah.

Patrick Wiggins, NASA ambassador to Utah, said a seismologist has contacted him and believes the meteor impacted Utah's west desert.

The seismologist said he triangulated the terminal burst location based on seven Utah seismic stations, and his calculations put it in the general vicinity of Granite Peak in Tooele County, about 30 miles southwest of Dugway.

"Happily, that agrees nicely with what another seismologist suggested and with what I estimated, based on where I saw the burst in the sky and how long it took the sound to reach me," Wiggins said.

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"Unfortunately, that puts it on Dugway Proving Grounds, so I doubt anyone will be doing a search there anytime soon, though one person said he's going to see if permission for an expedition could be arranged."

The meteor produced a tremendous flash that briefly turned night into day over a vast portion of the West at about 12:07 a.m. Wednesday.

Reports of people seeing the meteor ranged from California to Wyoming.

— Lynn Arave

Recent comments

My mom saw it in Alliance, NE!!

mr... | Feb. 3, 2010 at 7:57 p.m.

I was leaving work that night and saw the meteor from Rifle Colorado....

Anonymous | Jan. 10, 2010 at 2:50 a.m.

I was out camping in Dugway that night and it was truly amazing

Tony | Jan. 9, 2010 at 5:46 p.m.

Image
Youtube

A frame grab taken home security video posted on YouTube shows how bright the sky became during the meteor event over Utah early Wednesday morning.

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