Canadian astronomers tape meteor fall

London, Ontario -- Canadian astronomers at the University of Western Ontario are hunting for pieces of a meteorite they videotaped falling to Earth.

Associate Professor Peter Brown said the university's network of all-sky cameras shot video of the large fireball at 10:59 p.m. last Wednesday.

Brown and post doctoral student Wayne Edwards are asking for the help of local residents in recovering meteorites that might have crashed in the Parry Sound area.

"Most meteoroids burn up by the time they hit an altitude of (36-42 miles) from Earth," said Edwards. "We tracked this one to an altitude of about (14 miles) so we are pretty sure there are at least one, and possibly many meteorites, that made it to the ground."

Edwards said the area where meteorites would have fallen has been calculated at about 5 square miles.

"We would love to find a recovered meteorite on this one, because we have the video and we have the data and by putting that together with the meteorite, there is a lot to be learned," he said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.