Free Republic

MADRID (AFP) - A meteorite which residents described as a "huge ball of fire" was spotted over the eastern Spanish regions of Catalonia and Valencia, according to astronomers in the region. "We received scores of calls from witnesses, who at first thought it was an asteroid flashing past. But judging from its size it was a meteorite," said a spokesman for a Catalonia-based astronomers' association. Motorists spotted the glowing sphere from the motorway linking Spain with southern France and reported seeing it break up into fragments. The meteorite glowed a greenish hue as it sped through the atmosphere on a...

Probe to 'look inside' asteroids By Paul Rincon BBC News Online science staff in Paris, France Studies of asteroids would aid Earth-protection strategies A new space mission concept unveiled at a Paris conference aims to look inside asteroids to reveal how they are made. Deep Interior would use radar to probe the origin and evolution of two near-Earth objects less than 1km across. The mission, which could launch some time later this decade, would also give clues to how the planets evolved. The perceived threat of asteroids colliding with our planet has renewed interest in space missions to understand these...

A massive mysterious explosion in Wairoa this morning shook windows and woke people in Mahia, Kotemaori, Ruakituri, Lake Waikaremoana and Wairoa. Wairoa senior sergeant Chris Flood said the explosion occurred about 3.40am. Police called several people around the district. "They report hearing a loud explosion and seeing the whole sky light up. Everyone heard it," Mr Flood said. He thought it might have been a meteor. Department of Conservation Aniwaniwa area manager Glenn Mitchell said he thought the noise was an LPG bottle exploding. "I knew it wasn't a gunshot. It was a large explosion. I drove all around the...