Comments on: A boy claims he was hit by a meteorite http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:30:08 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Arch Stanton http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-224524 Arch Stanton Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:54:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-224524 Yeah, I just heard about this through a probability website -- http://bookofodds.com/Accidents-Death/Natural-Disasters-Hazards/Articles/Danger-Falling-Objects -- and while it's certainly possible, the physical details don't seem to add up at all. Considering the speed at which it would have hit him (waaaay slower than 30,000mph, for sure), it wouldn't have had near the kinetic energy needed to create a one-foot crater. And, IF it had hit him at, say, three or four times bullet-speed, his hand would've been decimated. I say the whole thing stinks. Yeah, I just heard about this through a probability website —

http://bookofodds.com/Accidents-Death/Natural-Disasters-Hazards/Articles/Danger-Falling-Objects

— and while it’s certainly possible, the physical details don’t seem to add up at all. Considering the speed at which it would have hit him (waaaay slower than 30,000mph, for sure), it wouldn’t have had near the kinetic energy needed to create a one-foot crater.

And, IF it had hit him at, say, three or four times bullet-speed, his hand would’ve been decimated.

I say the whole thing stinks.

]]> By: Phil http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-197350 Phil Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:45:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-197350 Gerrit, meet Siobhan. I liked her hoax better, she was hit by a Martian iron(!) that miraculously rusted instantly. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2218755.stm Gerrit, meet Siobhan. I liked her hoax better, she was hit by a Martian iron(!) that miraculously rusted instantly.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2218755.stm

]]> By: Phil Whitmer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-196654 Phil Whitmer Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:40:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-196654 Phil: Your own words: Let me be clear to start: it’s entirely possible that this story is in fact real, and the boy was struck by a meteorite. Also here:and while it’s good to be skeptical of things like this, there’s no reason to automatically assume it’s baloney. And here: Now, it’s possible the meteorite simply barely grazed him, but the article isn’t clear. And again here: In this case then the boy would’ve been hit by a smaller piece of the meteoroid moving much faster than the usual few hundred kph of terminal velocity, because it would’ve been accelerated by the explosion. Again, it’s likely what actually hit him was shrapnel from the ground, and not the meteorite itself (unless it grazed him). The article doesn’t say if they found the meteorite in the crater or not, but assuming they did my idea makes a lot more sense. This theory is just junk science. All this sounds like you really want to believe this nonsense. I'm still waiting for some real science to back up your belief in this silly story. Seriously, if this is only the third person in history to ever get hit by a meteorite, wouldn't the supposed stone have been identified by now? What could possibly be taking so long? Phil: Your own words: Let me be clear to start: it’s entirely possible that this story is in fact real, and the boy was struck by a meteorite. Also here:and while it’s good to be skeptical of things like this, there’s no reason to automatically assume it’s baloney. And here: Now, it’s possible the meteorite simply barely grazed him, but the article isn’t clear. And again here: In this case then the boy would’ve been hit by a smaller piece of the meteoroid moving much faster than the usual few hundred kph of terminal velocity, because it would’ve been accelerated by the explosion. Again, it’s likely what actually hit him was shrapnel from the ground, and not the meteorite itself (unless it grazed him). The article doesn’t say if they found the meteorite in the crater or not, but assuming they did my idea makes a lot more sense. This theory is just junk science. All this sounds like you really want to believe this nonsense. I’m still waiting for some real science to back up your belief in this silly story.
Seriously, if this is only the third person in history to ever get hit by a meteorite, wouldn’t the supposed stone have been identified by now? What could possibly be taking so long?

]]> By: Phil Plait http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-196638 Phil Plait Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:58:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-196638 Phil, where do I say I want to believe or that I do believe this story? What I do say is that the evidence is thin, contradictory to a lot of known science. I am also saying that we cannot say he is lying, though it is possible. He may simply have been mistaken on what happened. Phil, where do I say I want to believe or that I do believe this story? What I do say is that the evidence is thin, contradictory to a lot of known science. I am also saying that we cannot say he is lying, though it is possible. He may simply have been mistaken on what happened.

]]> By: Phil Whitmer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-196629 Phil Whitmer Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:23:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-196629 Phil: What will it take to convince you this kid is lying? Surely you must know about the laws of physics governing meteorite entry and impact. Let's start with this: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/. A pea sized meteorite simply will not make a crater no matter how much you want to believe it will. Your theory about a larger meteorite breaking up and smaller pieces gaining velocity is simply wrong! They slow down, they don't speed up upon break up. There was no crater, and there was no meteorite. Unless of course, they forgot to photograph the crater. Oops! I've already covered the physical impossibilities point by point. You on the other hand have provided no evidence as to why you want to believe this tall tale. Why do you want to believe this obviously false story? Give me the science behind your erronous beliefs. If there was a meteorite, it would have been on the fast track to identification and classification. This hasn't happened for obvious reasons. There have been no new articles about this kid. Instead of taking his place in the annals of meteorite history, the kid has faded into a well deserved oblivion. Phil: What will it take to convince you this kid is lying? Surely you must know about the laws of physics governing meteorite entry and impact. Let’s start with this: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/. A pea sized meteorite simply will not make a crater no matter how much you want to believe it will. Your theory about a larger meteorite breaking up and smaller pieces gaining velocity is simply wrong! They slow down, they don’t speed up upon break up. There was no crater, and there was no meteorite. Unless of course, they forgot to photograph the crater. Oops! I’ve already covered the physical impossibilities point by point. You on the other hand have provided no evidence as to why you want to believe this tall tale. Why do you want to believe this obviously false story? Give me the science behind your erronous beliefs. If there was a meteorite, it would have been on the fast track to identification and classification. This hasn’t happened for obvious reasons. There have been no new articles about this kid. Instead of taking his place in the annals of meteorite history, the kid has faded into a well deserved oblivion.

]]> By: Phil Plait http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-196590 Phil Plait Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:03:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-196590 Phil Whitmer, that's going too far. There is nothing new in that wiki article, so you cannot say "Finally", as if there is new evidence there. While I agree with what's written in the article, it's still not conclusive the boy lied. Phil Whitmer, that’s going too far. There is nothing new in that wiki article, so you cannot say “Finally”, as if there is new evidence there. While I agree with what’s written in the article, it’s still not conclusive the boy lied.

]]> By: Phil Whitmer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/comment-page-3/#comment-196576 Phil Whitmer Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:25:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/12/a-boy-claims-he-was-hit-by-a-meteorite/#comment-196576 Finally the kid has been exposed as a liar! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_blank Finally the kid has been exposed as a liar! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_blank

]]>