It looks like my #infrasound monitor (a #RaspberryBoom) might have caught the sonic boom from a meteor that passed over the #Houston area this afternoon.
-
It looks like my #infrasound monitor (a #RaspberryBoom) might have caught the sonic boom from a meteor that passed over the #Houston area this afternoon. Time is in UTC here.
The problem is - lots of things create infrasound. This is the loudest thing within that hour, and approximately the right time, but is it a sonic boom?
Sonic booms should have an N-shaped profile, as shown in this figure from their wikipedia article: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N-wave.png#/media/File:N-wave.png
-
The problem is - lots of things create infrasound. This is the loudest thing within that hour, and approximately the right time, but is it a sonic boom?
Sonic booms should have an N-shaped profile, as shown in this figure from their wikipedia article: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N-wave.png#/media/File:N-wave.png
@grajohnt BUUURRRPP! Oh, sorry! 🤪
-
The problem is - lots of things create infrasound. This is the loudest thing within that hour, and approximately the right time, but is it a sonic boom?
Sonic booms should have an N-shaped profile, as shown in this figure from their wikipedia article: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N-wave.png#/media/File:N-wave.png
That figure shows the whole thing lasting ~.2s.
If we zoom in on my own data, you have to stretch a little bit to believe that it has the same N-shape, but it's not entirely wrong.
The initial peak is ~.1s, but the whole thing takes ~.6s (from 21:42:26.4 to 21:42:27)
-
That figure shows the whole thing lasting ~.2s.
If we zoom in on my own data, you have to stretch a little bit to believe that it has the same N-shape, but it's not entirely wrong.
The initial peak is ~.1s, but the whole thing takes ~.6s (from 21:42:26.4 to 21:42:27)
It was certainly one of the loudest things today, and a broad-spectrum 'boom'.
(Ignore the really huge thing in the recent lower left, that was me rebooting the RaspberryBoom because I thought it was offline
)The big thing in the quiet nighttime hours is a helicopter - those have a very distinct signature.
-
It was certainly one of the loudest things today, and a broad-spectrum 'boom'.
(Ignore the really huge thing in the recent lower left, that was me rebooting the RaspberryBoom because I thought it was offline
)The big thing in the quiet nighttime hours is a helicopter - those have a very distinct signature.
Helicopters are easy to spot because you can *see* the infrasound dopper shift as they go past your location.
-
Helicopters are easy to spot because you can *see* the infrasound dopper shift as they go past your location.
So my verdict is that *maybe* this was the sonic boom, but it's awfully hard to be sure.
-
So my verdict is that *maybe* this was the sonic boom, but it's awfully hard to be sure.
Here's the official notice of the event and the timing - which fits just fine: https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo_view/event/2026/1959
-
Here's the official notice of the event and the timing - which fits just fine: https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo_view/event/2026/1959
Oh! And magnitude-wise, that's ~8 Pascals of overpressure, which equates to just under 0.2 lb/ft^2 on the wikipedia graph.
-
Helicopters are easy to spot because you can *see* the infrasound dopper shift as they go past your location.
@grajohnt
Sue has become very good at distinguishing the local police helicopter and the air ambulance helicopter just by their sound as they become audible.Seeing the hospital helipad light up is a good confirmation of an incoming air ambulance.
-
@grajohnt
Sue has become very good at distinguishing the local police helicopter and the air ambulance helicopter just by their sound as they become audible.Seeing the hospital helipad light up is a good confirmation of an incoming air ambulance.
Random thing the other day - I heard the air ambulance, looked up and yes, it was flying low over our house, away from the hospital. But then I looked at the hospital, and the air ambulance was on the helipad. But I'm sure it was an air ambulance I saw in the sky. I didn't know there were two....
-
Random thing the other day - I heard the air ambulance, looked up and yes, it was flying low over our house, away from the hospital. But then I looked at the hospital, and the air ambulance was on the helipad. But I'm sure it was an air ambulance I saw in the sky. I didn't know there were two....
@suearcher There's a lot of involuntary teleporting going on these days!
-
@suearcher There's a lot of involuntary teleporting going on these days!
@amenonsen @Maker_of_Things @grajohnt
Teleporting would be an even easier way to transport patients!
-
It looks like my #infrasound monitor (a #RaspberryBoom) might have caught the sonic boom from a meteor that passed over the #Houston area this afternoon. Time is in UTC here.
@grajohnt that's cool!
-
R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
