Field notes / 04
Reconstruction · December 21, 1876
The fireball of December 21, 1876
Seven towns reported the fireball overhead. The track fitted to them passes 17 km from the Rochester, Indiana meteorite, which was not used in the fit.
How the track was fitted ↓Illustrative motion only. Speed, duration and altitude are not reconstructed.
Seven overhead towns · used in
fitRochester meteorite · independent
checkLine = fitted great circle · not a measured flight path
Direction
The fitted track runs west-southwest to east-northeast, at an azimuth of 67.9°. Fit notes ↗
Holdout check
Rochester lies 17 km south of the fitted track. Its location was held out of the fit. Independent checks ↗
Uncertainty
The overhead towns scatter by about 26 km RMS. This is a ground track, not an orbit. Reconstruction data ↗
| Overhead town | Offset from track | Newspaper evidence |
|---|