[AstroNet] Fireballs over Harrismith

Willie Koorts wpk at saao.ac.za
Thu Nov 3 15:19:32 SAST 2011 

Hi Allen 

Yes, most definitely Chinese lanterns. In the last year or two (since these became quite general in SA) I've had at least 5 reports where I could attribute it to these. The first question I ask these day is if what it was windstill conditions - the ideal time to launch them, particularly important here in the Cape. 

Regards 
Willie 

----- Original Message -----

| From: "Allen Versfeld" <allen.versfeld at gmail.com>
| To: "astronet" <astronet at mail.saasta.ac.za>
| Sent: Thursday, 3 November, 2011 1:30:34 PM
| Subject: Re: [AstroNet] Fireballs over Harrismith

| If anybody's curious to see Riaan's footage of the apparition, he's
| uploaded it into youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfL3Ia9883M

| Thanks to Claire Flanagan for suggesting we look into Chinese
| Lanterns - from photo's and video's I've found, I'd say we have our
| answer!

| Regards
| Allen Versfeld
| http://www.urban-astronomer.com

| On 2 November 2011 16:30, Allen Versfeld < allen.versfeld at gmail.com >
| wrote:

| | Riaan van Greuning mailed me about a series of bright lights he saw
| | in the sky above Harrismith on Sunday night, which he initially
| | described as a series of fireballs. I've had a few ideas as to what
| | they might be, but none seem to quite fit the bill (aircraft with
| | lights above the clouds, car headlights lighting up the clouds from
| | beneath, fireworks from diwali, rocket launches passing over SA)
| | for
| | one reason or another. You can read his description in the attached
| | message below.
| 

| | Has anybody else received reports of this, or does anybody have
| | suggestions as to what it is Riaan might have seen? He is busy
| | uploading the video he recorded onto youtube, and will provide the
| | link as soon as it is complete. He originally sent me a series of
| | screenshots from the video, which I can pass on to anybody who's
| | interested, although I'm not sure how useful they will be - they
| | just show indistinct patches of bright orange-tinted light.
| 

| | Regards
| 
| | Allen Versfeld
| 
| | ------- Forwarded message -------
| 
| | From: "Van Greuning, Riaan" < Riaan.VanGreuning at afgri.co.za >
| 
| | To: "Allen Versfeld" < allen.versfeld at gmail.com >
| 
| | Cc:
| 
| | Subject: RE: Re:
| 
| | Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:49:32 +0200
| 

| | The pictures are snapshots from a video that I took of the
| | appearance.
| 
| | It was cloudy but it was mostly not behind the clouds.
| 
| | They were all moving approximately at the same speed, I would say
| | according to the time and distance
| 
| | About 300km/h, but that is just a guess. It seem to appear from the
| | North and not the North horizon and
| 
| | It disappeared through the clouds to the south. There was a slight
| | curve in the movement but no sudden direction changes.
| 
| | The shape stayed the same large, round and bright as in the photos.
| | You could actually see that it is burning.
| 
| | There were no sound at all. The first one we saw was 22h00 and
| | lasted
| | for about 1min,from the time we noticed it.
| 
| | Five minutes later we saw another one and it also lasted for about
| | a
| | minute from the time we noticed it
| 
| | Then we went outside and waited with the hope we saw another. About
| | 10 min passed.
| 
| | Then two appeared and moved together for about 1min 30sec then they
| | start to split , as they moved on another appeared
| 
| | This one moved in the same pattern as the others but appeared
| | bigger
| | and you could see the burning and flames more clearly.
| 
| | I would like to send you the video but it is too big to e-mail.
| 
| | I took it with my cell 12mpixel.I'll see if I can compress it to
| | reduce the size.
| 
| | Thank you.
| 

| | -----Original Message-----
| 
| | From: Allen Versfeld [mailto: allen.versfeld at gmail.com ]
| 
| | Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 10:57
| 
| | To: Van Greuning, Riaan
| 
| | Subject: Re:
| 

| | Hi Riaan
| 

| | Those pictures are very interesting, but I'm afraid I can't tell
| | much
| | from
| 
| | them. They seem a little blurry, but I can't tell if they're behind
| 
| | clouds, or if it's just the usual result of a normal camera trying
| | to
| 
| | auto-focus in darkness (night-time photography and
| | astro-photography
| | is
| 
| | pretty specialised - you're working at light levels that most
| | professional
| 
| | photographers simply don't know how to deal with).
| 
| | Could you give me an idea of how fast they were moving? Did they
| | travel
| 
| | all the way from the north horizon to the south, or did they change
| 
| | direction, start at one point, fade away, or anything else like
| | that?
| 
| | Were they bright points like stars, or large objects with a shape
| | and
| | size?
| 

| | The times you gave - 22h00 to 22h22 - do you mean that you saw them
| | at
| 
| | some point between those times, or that they came at intervals
| | between
| 
| | those exact times? In other words, did the show last 22 minutes?
| 

| | On Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:03:39 +0200, Van Greuning, Riaan
| 
| | < Riaan.VanGreuning at afgri.co.za > wrote:
| 

| | >
| 
| | > Good day
| 
| | > Can you tell me what is on the photo's.
| 
| | > I captured this Sunday night in Harrismith.
| 
| | > I saw five of these fireballs between 22h00 and 22h22 moving from
| | > North
| 
| | > to South.
| 
| | > Thank you
| 
| | >
| 
| | > Riaan van Greuning
| 
| | > Electrical Technician
| 
| | > AFGRI Operations Limited
| 
| | > Tel: +27 12 974 2525
| 
| | > Fax: +27 86 635 2462
| 
| | > Mobile: +27 71 679 3533
| 
| | > E-mail:
| 
| | > Riaan.VanGreuning at afgri.co.za <mailto:
| | > Riaan.VanGreuning at afgri.co.za >
| 
| | > Website: www.afgri.co.za<http://www.afgri.co.za/>
| 
| | > [cid:image001.jpg at 01CAFB19.D0B70550]
| 

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-- 

Mr. W.P. Koorts ( wpk at saao.ac.za ) 
South African Astronomical Observatory 
P.O. Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africa 
Tel.(27) (21) 460 9334 Fax.(27) (21) 447 3639 
World Wide Web (Work) http://www.saao.ac.za 
World Wide Web ( Personal ) http://wpk.saao.ac.za 
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