Great Meteor Procession of 1913

1913NotableContested

On February 9, 1913, observers across Canada, the northeastern United States and ships in the Atlantic see a slow line of bright fireballs cross the sky in a procession.

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The story

On the evening of February 9, 1913, many people across Canada, the northeastern United States and ships at sea saw something unusual: a row of bright, slow fireballs gliding across the sky in a long line, like a procession. Some left tails, and the whole display lasted several minutes. Most meteors flash by in a second, so this was a different kind of event.

Clarence Chant, an astronomer at the University of Toronto, collected hundreds of eyewitness reports and worked out that the objects moved along a nearly level path over thousands of kilometers. Scientists have offered several explanations, including fragments of a small body that grazed the upper atmosphere, and a short-lived natural satellite of Earth that broke apart. No consensus has emerged, in part because no fragments were recovered and the observations came from untrained witnesses without instruments.

Why it mattered

Showed how witness reports could be turned into a scientific analysis of a rare sky event.
Prompted early thinking about earth-grazing bodies and temporary natural satellites.
Is a standard example in the study of unusual fireball displays.

Sources

Feb. 9, 1913: The Great Meteor Procession Astronomy Magazine
Where Did They Come From, Where Did They Go. Grazing Fireballs arXiv
Forensic Astronomer Cracks the Case of Historic Meteor Procession Scientific American
Astronomer Sleuths Find Clues to 100-Year-Old Meteor Mystery Space.com

Contested history

Consensus: A line of slow fireballs crossed North America on February 9, 1913, probably fragments of a small body that grazed the atmosphere; the exact origin is not settled.

Fragments of a small body skimming the upper atmosphereDebated

This fits the long, shallow track and slow motion, but the original body cannot be identified.

Read this view

Forensic Astronomer Cracks the Case of Historic Meteor Procession Scientific American
Where Did They Come From, Where Did They Go. Grazing Fireballs arXiv

A short-lived natural satellite of Earth that broke apartMinority view

An idea discussed since the event, but there is no direct evidence of earlier capture.

Read this view

Astronomer Sleuths Find Clues to 100-Year-Old Meteor Mystery Space.com

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