man made meteor visible early this sunday morning

[yes_justice]

STARDUST FIREBALL:

On Sunday morning, Jan. 15th, between 1:56 and 1:59 a.m. PST (0956 - 0959 UT), a brilliant fireball will streak over northern California and Nevada. It's NASA's Stardust capsule, returning to Earth with samples of dust from Comet Wild 2. The best observing sites are near Carlin and Elko, Nevada, where the man-made meteor is expected to shine some 60 times brighter than Venus: observing tips.


(click for larger image)

The flight path of the Stardust capsule. [more]

If you're too far away to see the fireball, you might be able to hear it--on the radio. The technique is called "meteor scatter." Tune an FM radio to a silent spot between local stations and point the radio's antenna in the general direction of northern Nevada. When the Stardust capsule rips through the atmosphere, it will create an electrically ionized wake that reflects radio waves. You could suddenly pick up stations hundreds to thousands of miles away reflected in your direction from the fireball's tail: live audio.

Ganked from spaceweather.com.

Comments

[mochalover.livejournal.com]

How interesting! Ah, so it won't find it's way into the desert of New Mexico...

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

You may be able to see it, but i'm doubting....I bet there will be some good pics.

icon heart!

[geordie.livejournal.com]

Oh cool! I'll be in Willits, so it should look like it's almost overhead. I'll set the alarm and put the big lens on the camera. But there's rain in the forecast.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Yah. Bummer. But even if there is clouds, I'm looing. 60 times the brightness of jupiter may show through

[geordie.livejournal.com]

Even when they have storms there are clear spells, so I'll be setting my alarm for 01:50 and trying to drag myself out of bed.