> http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_news/story/2606419p-2418584c.html
There are so many factual and conceptual errors in this story that I have 100% confidence in dismissing it as hogwash. > The Beafort Gazette (South Carolina) With apologies to our list members from South Carolina, my warning flag is already raised at this point... > "I was only about 15 feet away from it when it came down," > said Morris. "It had a smoky white tail." Which I'm sure she saw real well at 3:40 in the morning... ;-) > Morris said small glowing flames dropped from it as it came down... Of course...uh-huh...please, go on... > Morris plans on keeping the few extraterrestrial pieces. (Until she figures out that she can sell the fakes on eBay...) > While reports like Morris' do come in on occasion they > usually aren't actual meteorites, said Christina Lacey, a > professor at the University of South Carolina's physics and > astronomy department. "I've never heard of (the reports) > panning out," Lacey said. Good for Christina -- at least she knows the score. > Lacey said meteorites coming from passing comets, which > are composed of ice, usually burn up ... As we all know, a meteorite by definition never burns up. I think she means meteoroids, though I would prefer the wording "debris shed by passing comets". > "Most meteorites tend to be very simple" in composition, Lacey said. Compared to what???? A living organism? Has she ever seen the inside of an "ordinary" chondrite? > Lacey said rarely do man-made meteorites make it to Earth, and when > they do it's usually over water. "Man-made meteorites" -- so now satellite debris are also meteorites... > If someone does recover something they think is a meteorite, Lacey > said geologists can usually tell whether it's from outer space or > not. If past performance is any indication, I would say they usually CAN'T. > "You could talk to the geology department at Clemson, the University > of South Carolina or the College of Charleston and they could identify > it," Lacey said. Do they have a meteoritics department? If not, then I have my doubts. > Morris said she doesn't plan on doing anything like that ... Of course not -- as long as no one qualified ever looks at them, her fantasy is intact. > ... though she does admit it's somewhat unbelievable. I don't think we need the "somewhat". > "I just wish I had a video camera at the time," she said. "Without a > movie, it's like no one believes you." Exactly. Indeed, Ms. Morris has unwittingly revealed the source for her story -- movies. I wonder if Armageddon was on T.V. the night before? ;-) --Rob ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
