ITS DESTINATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 5 January 1945, Page 4

ITS DESTINATION

FALL INTO SEA? Wellington, This Day. The destination. of the meteor which flamed across the sky on Saturday night has aroused keen interest. From reports already received it is possible to trace its course on a line running roughly over Wellington, Carterton, Masterton, Dannevirke and Castlepoint. From there on the evidence is inconclusive and rather contradictory. The consensus, however, i* that somewhere over the coast between Castlepoint and Poraugahau the meteor either burnt itself out or disintegrated and fell into the sea, there being a loud explosion either at the moment of disintegration or soon afterward. Mr. J. Bradbury, Masterton, reports that the meteor appeared there at about 8.45 p.m. Lighting up the country well ahead, it approached from the south-west at a fairly leisurely pace and disappeared to the north-east. A process of irregular disintegration was taking place, but that did not appear to affect either the size or the brilliance of (he metoor. About one minute and a half after it had passed Mr. Bradbury heard a crash andalmost immediately afterward felt a sharp jarring of the earth. The sound appeared to come from the direction in which the meteor had disappeared.

From Castlepoint come several reports that the meteor passed low overhead at about 8.45 p.m. and went out to sea in a northerly direction. One observer states: “Before it disappeared from sight thy bright head burnt out and about a minute later there was a loud explosion.” Another says, “It came across the sky with a blue light, lighting all the countryside. It was about 100 yards from the Iteaeh when there was a loud explosion and the meteor blew to pieces. They were ail colours and showered like a rocket. The red hall went on for about 50 yards and then went out.” A Poraugahau man who saw the meteor said that it. appeared to be fizzling out and looked as if it would land in the Claiming they had found at least part of the meteorite, two Hutt Valley bovs yesterday took to the Carter Observatory a lump of what appeared to bp brown scoria. They were very keen that the ±o offered for the meteorites discovery he paid to them. However the piece of “meteorite.” about the size of a small football and in a crumbling state, was examined by a visiting overseas astronomical authority and declared to be definitely not of meteoric origin.