Meteor Thought To Have Landed In Southern Alps

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28104, 20 October 1956, Page 10

Meteor Thought To Have Landed In Southern Alps

I An object seen in the sky by several | ! persons in North Canterbury shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday is believed to have been a meteor. * It is probable i that the meteor landed somewhere on the Canterbury side of the Southern 1 Alps if it maintained the course it was : on when last sighted. Mr and Mrs J. H. Ensor, of Mouni tain View, in the Okuku district. 1 about 15 miles from Rangiora. were j sitting on the front porch of their home when Mrs Ensor drew her husband’s attention to the object, wheih was visible for about six seconds. Mr Ensor described it as a silver object, pointed at the nose, widening out and then tapering off into a tail. It was travelling north-west, not at a great soeed. but was losing altitude at about an angle of 30 degrees. It did not alter course or speed and left in its • wake a number of orange ball-like I objects which gradually disintegrated. Visibility was perfectly clear, as i there were no clouds. Mr Ensor said ! it was difficult to estimate the height. 1 t . t he thought it was about 3000 feet. About 5 p.m. Mr B. 11. Little, of the Hui Hui station. Hawarden, happened to glance at the sky. He saw an object i which he described as resembl’ng a rocket or a comet. It left behind a i trail of grcenish-olue light and ap- ' peared to be travelling at a speed of about 200 or 300 miles an hour in a : north-westerly direction and was

descending on an angle of about 30 degrees. A Press Association message states that a brilliant meteor was seen fro® Nelson at 4.45 p.m. yesterday. People who saw it said it was a bluish-white light with a white trail. It travelled from south-east to north-west. Observers said that it was accompanied by a sizzling noise followed by » n explosion sufficient to rattle windows as if there had been a minor earthquake.