12P/Pons-Brooks (Devil Comet) and Australia and New Zealand meteors in 1954

The last time 12P/Pons-Brooks (Devil Comet) was in the inner solar system was in 1954. The object is 17 km wide. Below are notable meteors for that year. We could be in for an eventful year here in Australia and New Zealand. An interesting observation looking at data is that in 1954 there were many meteor sightings in Australia, especially inland, and not many in New Zealand. So far in 1954, I haven't found mass whale strandings, dead whales yes, but not mass strandings. So far in 2024 there has been increased meteor activity (significant fireballs) in New Zealand and none in Australia. This means the meteoroid streams are moving. If the sea is going to be the target this time (Tasman Sea/Southern Ocean), it will mean the probability of mass whale stranding are highly probable. Only time will tell. Note that in 1954 the hunting of whales was in overdrive. What this does to data reading is hard to tell. From what I have found whale strandings will still occur even through hunting seasons. Also, there haven't been any airbursts in the Southern Ocean so far even though it can take time for data to come through. The New Zealand activity is strong and coming over the Tasman Sea so what effect this will have on migration will be interesting. The Chatham Islands to New Zealand's east are also at risk of strandings.

1954, January 3. Victoria and South Australia. METEOR. In Melbourne, the object was seen travelling S.S.E between 10 to 15 degrees of sky. It turned white then blue emitting red sparks. It was seen in Adelaide at Belair, S.A time of 8:15.

1954, January (Early). Northern Territory, Alice Springs. METEOR. Time 5am. Frightened aborigines rushed to the only white man on Hart's range mica field claiming they had heard a strange noise in the sky. Hart's range is 100 miles north-east of Alice Springs. Aborigines say it was a high-pitched whining noise.

1954, January 16. South Australia and New South Wales. METEOR. Time 12:02 and 12:05pm. Both objects were travelling east to west. The first was orange in colour and the second had a luminous blue tail. In Broken Hill the second one was seen in N.W sky travelling west. Surrounded by an orange-coloured glow leaving no trail. Flight time lasted 3 to 4 seconds.

1954, January 21. New South Wales. Time 7:30pm. METEOR. Described as green flame with white center. Traveling west.

1954, January 28. New Zealand. METEOR IMPACT. West of Wellington in the Tasman Sea.

1954, March 22. New South Wales, Balmain. METEOR. Travelling west to east.

1954, April 1. Queensland. Gunnavarra Station, Morven, about 100km east of Charleville. LARGE BOLIDE BURST. Travelling west to east for 10 to 20 seconds. Produced a thundering noise for some minutes.

1954, May 4. Victoria, Horsham. Time 12:15am. LARGE METEOR. Described as a massive glowing white-bluish object. Travellingthe  south to north.

1954, May 15. Queensland, Rockhampton. METEOR. Time: Just Before Midnight.

1954, May 15. Queensland. METEOR. Seen from stock train from travelling from Charleville to Roma. Soon after leaving Mungallala, when our train was 640km (ie, from Brisbane), or 128km west of Roma. A brilliant bluish-white object passed rapidly across the sky in a S.W direction, leaving a trail of golden sparks. It seemed about the size of a billiard ball over 2000 feet up. It was in view for about six seconds, and suddenly disappeared just after passing overhead, roughly 20 degrees from the zenith. Time was 11.47 pm.

1954, May 16. Victoria. TWO METEORS/FIREBALLS. Time 10:30pm. Seen in the southern sky. Described as a silent high powered object trailing yellowish/red flame.

1954, May 18. New South Wales, Murwillumbah, Kingcliffe, Tweed District. LARGE METEOR. Time 10:30am. The object appeared over the horizon to seaward, cross the sky at great speed and disappeared behind the hills to the north-west. Described as a flying neon tube.

1954, May 18. Queensland, Rockhampton, Athelstane Range. METEOR. Time 1:35pm. Flight time 30seconds.

1954, May 18. Queensland, Rockhampton, Athelstane. METEOR. Time Just before Midnight. Travelling in southerly direction. The object moved from the Yaamba direction towards the ranges, then veered off into space. 15 second flight time.

1954, May 20. Queensland, Maryborough. METEOR. Time 10 -11 am. Sounded like a blow lamp or whirl wind.

1954, May 20. Queensland, Bunderberg, Gin Gin. METEOR. Time 1:45pm. Very high altitude in the N.W.

1954, June 15. New South Wales, Illawarra south coast. METEORS. Blue objects emitting blue flame.

1954, June 28. Queensland. METEOR AIRBURST. Seen also in South Australia and NSW. South Australia, Cordillo Downs about 563 km north-west of Broken Hill. Outback stations many 100's km apart watched a meteoroid for over five minutes before it exploded. It seemed to fall from a bright red patch in the sky toward Tibooburra?(Visual mistake) The pinkish glare remained high in the sky for about five minutes. A blue line shot out of it and slowly fell toward the ground. It fell around the area near Mount Woods station. The Flying Doctor Base received many reports of the sight from outback people. From information received the base has roughly estimated that the meteor fell about 160 km west of Windorah (Queensland) and about 160km N.N.E. of Birdsville. It was stated that it certainly fell north of Birdsville. People there reported that they had heard a rumble and a crash and the area was lit up as if by lightning. Reports were received over the Flying Doctor Radio that drovers at Currawilla saw the meteor about 50km to the west of them. They said that a cloud of dust or smoke hung in the air for some time. According to some observers within a 160km radius of the area where the meteor was sighted, it did not hit the ground, but exploded in the air.

1954, July 5. New South Wales, Queanbeyan (Canberra), Foxlow Station. METEOR. Time 5:40pm. Seen in S.E sky. Green color. Fell at 30 degree angle.

1954, July 28. Queensland, Mackay. BOLIDE BURST/METEOR IMPACT. Time 10:40. Plunged into the sea north east of Mackay. Described as a huge fireball hundreds of meters in diameter. Astronomers said it ignited 50 to 60 km altitude.

1954, July 28. South Australia, Central Australia. EXTREME BOLIDE BURST, violent/extreme, sonic boom. Appeared above Lake Ayre, Flight time was five minutes before exploding. Reports came in 500 kilometers away of light. Witnesses saw a trail 150 km from the incident.

1954, August 9. New South Wales. LARGE METEOR/METEOR IMPACT. The light was reported over Canberra at 5.20 p.m., and over Sydney at 5.35 p.m. Bright green. Said to have impacted sea.

1954, September 5. South Australia, Adelaide, Victoria Mt Gambier. VIOLENT AIRBURST. Time 10:12pm. Tremor. Blinding light for 5 seconds. Appeared in the western sky and travelled S.E. Travelled 10 to 15 degrees of sky. Like a slow flash of lightning, or like, someone turning on a light, pausing, and then turning it out. As the light vanished on the horizon, another light flashed above, like forked lightning, and burnt out slowly. Two people in Adelaide said they felt the ground shake as the object exploded. Seen at Port Lincoln by a fisherman that it was a green flash in an easterly direction.

1954, September 6. New South Wales, Sydney. METEOR IMPACT. Time 4:20. Meteoroid crashed into the sea just over 11km off Ulladulla coast. Extremely violent/almost natural disaster. A couple of seconds slower and it would have wiped out a city block at minimum. It entered the atmosphere North of Sydney. It started exploding at 5000 feet and an object the size of a large plane impacted the sea with a tremendous explosion. A piece dissolved before impacting 100 meters from the Manly Ferry. Descriptions varied from blinding white to a reddish-orange colour. Some people said it was shaped like a rocket or torpedo, while others claimed it was like a tear-drop or diamond.

1954, September 16. New South Wales, Sydney. BOLIDE BURST. Seen to south and north. Travelling over 300 km.

1954, October 17. Western Australia. FIREBALL/BOLIDE BURST. Moved north before spliting in two.

1954, October 26. Queensland, Roma. METEOR. Time 3:20am. 12 miles west of Chinchilla. Orange tail.

1954, Oct. 27. Northern Territory, 100 miles south of Alice Springs. LARGE METEOR. The Flying Doctor base at Alice Springs received a report from Tempe Downs station that a huge meteor was seen hurtling to earth somewhere in the area. Described the meteor as looking like a huge car headlight streaking across the sky. It disappeared on the northern horizon. Saw flashes like lightning where the meteor disappeared.

1954, October 28. Western Australia, South Australia. BOLIDE BURST, traveling E.N.E from Great Australian Bight, Flew over coast near Madura. Impact point was 1000km further on near Oodnadatta in South Australia. The flight would have placed it 400 km south of Augusta in Western Australia.

1954, November 4. Tasmania, BOLIDE BURST, over Hobart.

1954, November 9. Western Australia, Manjimup. BOLIDE BURST. Travelling S.S.W, impact site 80km SSE of Augusta in Southern Ocean. Burned for 30 seconds. At first, it hung in the sky. Witnesses were able to watch it for some seconds before it started its irregular zig-zag entry.

1954, November 30. New South Wales. Yass air passengers from Melbourne to Sydney saw a meteor travelling at terrific speed. Passengers on the port side saw it explode. A tremendous bang was heard in the cabin above the roar of the engines.

1954, December 19. Victoria, Melbourne. METEOR. Time 2:45. A low flying meteoroid flew across northern suburbs. Described as ball of fire below the clouds. Had sparks trailing behind it. Made a “swooshing” sound.

1954, December 24. New South Wales, BOLIDE BURST, traveling South from NSW (already breaking up, two objects picked up on defense radar) over Melbourne and into Bass Strait.