Normally these things only happen in Russia and places far away. But a couple of days ago, we had a meteor flash through the Melbourne skies. I didn't see it, but heard some discussion on the radio (Was it as UFO? Was it the air force practicing for an upcoming air show?). More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-25/daytime-meteors-seen-and-heard-across-victorian-skies/6262710 There have been a couple of dashcams that captured part of the event. Apparently, the one here only shows a fragment, and perhaps not the brightest, biggest burning streak of fire that was widely reported. Also, this event (or related ones) were observed over a large part of Australia, from Victoria, to parts of New South Wales and Queensland.
Melborne is far away -- practically on the other side of the world! Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Melbourne is right here. Pittsburgh isn't even in the right hemisphere! Besides, everybody knows that if you want a good view of the stars the best place to be is south of the equator. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Indeed.. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Southern skies.. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Yes, that is from Chile, but it is a good view of everything we see. Including the Crux. And both Large and small Magellanic Clouds. So pretty.
Luckily, the Earth rotates, so it comes round to Australia, too. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Yeah, nice familiar skies. None of this Big Dipper nonsense. There's the Southern cross and the two pointers (Alpha and Beta Centauri) against the background of the Milky Way on the left, with the "false cross" a bit up and to the right, the South Celestial pole near the centre of the picture, the Carina constellation and nebula, the Magellanic clouds just above the observatory (and is that bright star to the right Achernar?), and a whole heap of nothing very interesting on the right-hand side at the bottom of the picture (but never mind that...).
Luckily? Have you seen what the sound waves of the Chelyabinsk meteorite did to the city? Just the soundwaves...Or you want a meteor in Melbourne?
He was talking about the Milky Way in the image I posted of the Southern sky that those of us South of the Equator are lucky to see at night.
Many years ago, I was lucky to find myself driving down the then very dark Bruce Highway late at night, heading home from a short holiday, well out of the city and away from the city lights and after a thunderstorm had gone through and the air and the sky was so clear. My husband and my cousin and her husband were in the car and we had to pull over to look at the sky. It was amazing. And you could just make out the Large Magellanic Cloud and the central band of the Milky Way with a thick band of stars with the naked eye. Luckily there was not that much traffic and we ended up pulling the car up a grassy incline by the Highway and climbing up the incline and sitting on the damp grass for about an hour.. It was the most beautiful bit of sky I had ever seen. We can see it from anywhere, but that night, because it was so dark and moonless and so clear, it was stunning.
