Jupiter, Moon and Meteor Update

Aug.07 2009

by Mike Hankey, under Lunar, Mason Dixon Meteor, Planets

Jupiter and Moon Aug 6th, 2009

It was a pretty clear night tonight. I saw Jupiter hanging out next to the moon and it looked like a good shot. My scope is not currently setup as I’m in the middle of construction on a new observatory, so I just snapped this pic with the tripod and camera lens.

I’ve spent most of my meteor time this week prepping for this weekend. I’ve reviewed and recorded all of the streets that cross the path. I found the PA land record website and with a little creative searching I’ve been able to get all of the property records for all of the potential estates. There aren’t that many of them, <30 tops. The records show pictures of the houses, acreage and obviously the property owners names.

I’m manipulating this data and prioritizing the targets and preparing a field agenda. I’ve found that lack of preparation before the field visits results in a lot of wasted time and effort. This weekend priority #1 will be making contact with as many land owners as possible the goal being to get permission to search the land.

I bought a hand held hikers GPS and I’m putting in coordinates of the high value targets. I’ve also teamed up with two different groups of meteorite hunters and we are coordinating our efforts and working together. I am also working with a group of friends so that while I’m off talking to land owners they are searching the streets and public areas.

:Meteor Update

3 Comments for this entry

Jeff Torchia
August 7th, 2009 on 1:59 pm
I am a meteorite hunter, beginner/novice, but I live close to Intercourse PA. About 45 minutes, Can you let me in on an approximate location to check public places and streets with my brand new metal detector. I have been bitten by the bug and don’t want to waste my time looking far from where this might have landed. I will share any findings with you of course. Thank you for any guidance you may be willing to offer me.

Jeff Torchia
XXX-XXX-XXXX
jefftorchia@epix.net
Dirk
August 12th, 2009 on 5:00 am
Save your time! The metal detector can be used later; your eyes are much more suited for searching quickly and with good to better accuracy once you are trained. Best in your hunt. Concentrate on black rocks with a glassy outer surface and that are magnetic and heavier that the average earth rock. IF you think that you have found something and require help contact me:
drtanuki@yahoo.com Dirk Ross…Tokyo
Juan Sanchez
August 21st, 2009 on 2:00 pm
33 years ago, on a dark night, I witnessed a once in a lifetime event. I was on a dear hunting trip, when suddenly, a colossal ball of fire passed no more than 50 yards in front of us and hit the groud no more then 2 miles of the road. You could see the fire on the ground where it hit. There were three of us who witnessed this event. We all agreed that we would check it out on our way back. On the way back, we could still see the glowing amber from the meteor. I never went out there and I imagine it is still there. I remember this event vividly like it was yesterday. If your intrested, contact me. Juan Sanchez