NUFORC Sighting 09716

Occurred: 1999-09-11 22:00 Local
Reported: 1999-09-13 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 10 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Grand Rapids, MI, USA

Shape: Flash
Characteristics: Left a trail, Aircraft nearby

90-degree turn by a meteor

Saturday night, September 11, about 10:00 PM. Duncan Lake, about 15 miles south of Grand Rapids, MI. I was attending a party that we put on annually for the OR personnel of Butterworth Hospital/Spectrum Health Downtown. I had not partaken of any of the alcoholic beverages available that evening since I had been involved in the setup and firing of a rather extensive fireworks show for the party. Duncan Lake is on the southern approach flight path to the Kent County International Airport. Several of us were standing around in an open field discussing the fireworks. A northbound jet flew over on its way to the airport and I glanced up to look at it. As the jet passed, I noticed a typical meteor streak that flew from the north to the south. As it faded, I saw an additional streak that originated from the exact point where the first streak ended and flew perpendicular (from my perspective) to the path of the first streak, heading generall y west. The impression that I got was that the original object changed direction, executing a 90-degree turn without slowing down. This occurred within seconds of the jet passing by, but my feeling was that the jet had nothing to do with the incident other than drawing my attention to the sky. We had seen many meteors that evening, but this one was remarkable enough to cause me to ask my companions if they had noticed it. Unfortunately they had not. Logic tells me that this was probably a coincidental sighting of two separate meteors travelling on perpendicular paths. But I thought you might want to add it to your database

Posted 1999-10-02