Observing Report by Roger J. Wendell Denver Astronomical Society Observer Volume XXXVI Number 4 July – August, 1986 Recently my friend Doug Bloom and I spent a week backpacking through a portion of the Grand Canyon. To get there, we drove straight through from Denver, a drive lasting over 15 due to heavy snow on Wolf Creek Pass. During that drive, at about 4:45 a.m. (Denver Time) on Sunday, April 27th, Doug spotted a large blue/white meteor just to the north of us. At that time we were west bound on Highway 160 and about one mile east of Four Corners. Although we are both interested in astronomy we are very inexperienced, especially in meteor work. This particular meteor captivated us for a number of reasons. First, it was the largest either of us had ever seen, at arm’s length it was at least half the size of a clenched fist. Second, it was visible from inside the car for about 7 to 8 seconds, enough time for Doug (as passenger) to bring it to my attention. Having left the mountain (and snowstorm) to the east of us, the skies were very clear and there was no light pollution with the exception of that generated by our automobile. The meteor appeared to be falling in a slow arc and seemed to be “crumbling,” that is to say that small pieces were falling off behind it. Although it was predominantly blue in color, there was some white and we felt that if only a mile or two closer we would have been able to detect shadows cast by its glow. Just above the horizon the meteor seemed to abruptly “shut off,” not hitting the ground as far as we could tell. Because of our canyon trip and other subsequent travels I was not able to attend the May meeting and lecture on meteors. If anyone has and/or needs additional information on our sighting we would appreciate contact through my home address. By the way, the skies from the Grand Canyon were very clear, however, the steep canyon walls and rim obscured most of the view. http://www.rogerwendell.com