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My favourite part of the flowchart is “has someone seen it fall” -> not a meteorite. Similarly, while people believe (small) meteorites would be hot upon landi

My favourite part of the flowchart is “has someone seen it fall” -> not a meteorite. Similarly, while people believe (small) meteorites would be hot upon landing, actually they are usually cold, from going relatively slowly through upper cold atmosphere. So if it’s red hot, it’s probably your neighbour’s barbecue they threw over the fence.

armedpacifist 5y ago
When I was a little kid I used to lay on my back in the garden when there was a clear night sky. I would watch numerous shooting stars and slowly moving dots (turned out to be satellites). One night laying there, out of the blue, I heard something hit the gravel path that was next to where I was laying. I searched the area where I figured the thing had fallen, but of course I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. There was no light, no sound and no trees from which something could have fallen. I was convinced it was a fragment of a meteorite, but seeing this chart I can only flow this childhood conviction out of existence. Coming to realize, it was most likely just my dad playing tricks on me. Either way, it still makes me feel warm inside thinking about that moment.
cwkoss 5y ago
Why does someone seeing it fall indicate that it's not a meteorite? Because people statistically never see it fall (and so are lying or mistaken?) or is there a different source of airborne rocky things?
- deleted 5y ago
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- rich_sasha 5y ago
  They are small and fast enough that you wouldn’t notice them. A 10cm diameter iron meteorite has a terminal velocity of about 600kph / 400mph / 160m/s. And remember it’s not glowing or red hot or followed by a plume of smoke, so you just won’t see it. So if “someone saw it” it’s either something else, or they are making it up.
adamredwoods 5y ago
>> "Ann Hodges was taking a nap on her living room couch and she was under a blanket, which probably saved her life somewhat," Prondzinski said. "The meteorite came down through the roof in the living room and it ricocheted off a stand-up console radio that was in the room and landed on her hip." https://www.insider.com/alabama-woman-first-person-hit-by-a-meteorite-2020-6 https://www.insider.com/alabama-woman-first-person-hit-by-a-...

armedpacifist 5y ago

When I was a little kid I used to lay on my back in the garden when there was a clear night sky. I would watch numerous shooting stars and slowly moving dots (turned out to be satellites). One night laying there, out of the blue, I heard something hit the gravel path that was next to where I was laying. I searched the area where I figured the thing had fallen, but of course I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. There was no light, no sound and no trees from which something could have fallen. I was convinced it was a fragment of a meteorite, but seeing this chart I can only flow this childhood conviction out of existence. Coming to realize, it was most likely just my dad playing tricks on me. Either way, it still makes me feel warm inside thinking about that moment.

cwkoss 5y ago

Why does someone seeing it fall indicate that it's not a meteorite? Because people statistically never see it fall (and so are lying or mistaken?) or is there a different source of airborne rocky things?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
rich_sasha 5y ago
They are small and fast enough that you wouldn’t notice them. A 10cm diameter iron meteorite has a terminal velocity of about 600kph / 400mph / 160m/s. And remember it’s not glowing or red hot or followed by a plume of smoke, so you just won’t see it. So if “someone saw it” it’s either something else, or they are making it up.

adamredwoods 5y ago

>> "Ann Hodges was taking a nap on her living room couch and she was under a blanket, which probably saved her life somewhat," Prondzinski said. "The meteorite came down through the roof in the living room and it ricocheted off a stand-up console radio that was in the room and landed on her hip." https://www.insider.com/alabama-woman-first-person-hit-by-a-meteorite-2020-6 https://www.insider.com/alabama-woman-first-person-hit-by-a-...