[meteorite-list] Another frauderite in the credulous press

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:01:55 -0500
Message-ID: <m06bj512h772l8bahcq3fmusp4c10qm271_at_4ax.com>

Photo on the site. It looks like maybe very old eroded barnacles or coral on
it.

http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/article.php?cid=37&id=7767

Strange Fiery Object Found On Beach

By Shawn J. Soper, News Editor
Originally published December 25, 2009

OCEAN CITY ? A mysterious, glowing hot object fell from the sky and landed on
the beach in Ocean City last week, but it remains uncertain this week just what
it is and from where it came.

Early last Tuesday morning, an Ocean City cab driver was walking down the
Boardwalk in the area of 22nd Street when he saw a bright glowing object fall
from the sky from north to south and land on the beach roughly 20 yards away
from him. Classic Cab Company driver Derrick Miller typically drops his taxi
back off at company headquarters on 26th Street after his shift and walks down
the Boardwalk to his home in the downtown area.

Over the years, he has established a relationship with a resident wild fox that
inhabits the area around 22nd Street in front of the Grand Hotel and often
brings food to the animal. Early last Tuesday morning, Miller was following his
normal routine when he saw a bright light flash across the sky from the north
with the glowing object landing on the beach about 20 yards away.

?I was doing my usual thing and I was on the beach right in front of the Grand
when I saw what looked at first like a shooting star,? he said. ?It crashed into
the sand about 20 yards away from me. When I checked it out, it had made a hole
in the sand about a foot and a half wide and about six inches deep. Whatever it
was, it was glowing red hot with sparks and fire coming from some of the holes
in it.?

Miller said he examined the object closely, but could not handle it because of
the heat. Instead, he buried it in the sand and marked the location with a
stick. He returned about five or six hours later and recovered the object, which
was still warm to the touch, but cool enough to pick up and handle.

The unknown oblong object is about an inch-and-a-half long on its longest side
and an inch or so wide. Its shape is irregular and appears to contain different
types of material. It is covered with small holes around the outside that appear
to be fissures of some sort. Weighed this week at the Classic Cab warehouse, it
came it at exactly 20 grams.

It is uncertain just what the object is and where it came from, but it fell from
the sky during one of the most celebrated astronomical events in the northern
hemisphere this year, lending credence to the working theory that is possibly a
meteorite or other kind of space debris. According to NASA officials, the
Geminid meteor shower arched its way across the northern hemisphere sky from
Dec. 6-18, providing one of the most visible astronomical events of the year.

According to NASA, the Geminid meteor shower reached its peak on Dec. 13-14,
which puts last week?s discovery on the beach in Ocean City right in the window
of the most activity in the area. While he could not be reached for comment or
possible identification of the object, Bill Cooke of NASA?s Meteoroid
Environment Office confirmed the Geminid meteor shower provided fireworks over
the mid-Atlantic area last week.

?It?s the Geminid meteor shower and it should have peaked on Dec. 13th and 14th
under ideal viewing conditions,? he said. ?The Geminids are strong and getting
stronger each year.?

Miller said in the days before and after his discovery of the object on the
beach, he noticed an increase in the number of shooting stars observed in the
area, particularly on the beach at night or in darker areas such as Ocean Pines
while he was driving his cab. He also said many of his fares had pointed out the
phenomenon.

According to NASA, Geminids are pieces of debris from a strange object known as
3200 Phaeton. Long thought to be an asteroid, Phaeton is now classified as an
extinct comet. According to NASA, ?it is basically the rocky skeleton of a comet
that lost its ice after too many close encounters with the sun,? and ?Earth runs
into a stream of debris from 3200 Phaeton every year in mid-December, causing
meteors to fly from the constellation Gemini.?

Of course, it remains uncertain just what the object Miller discovered on the
beach last week is, but the presence of the Geminid meteor shower during the
time it was found suggests it could be an object from outer space, possibly a
meteorite.

A meteorite is defined by NASA as a natural object originating in outer space
that survives a trip through the Earth?s atmosphere and lands on the ground.
Most meteorites come from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they
are sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids. According to NASA, meteorites
that are recovered after being observed as they transited through the atmosphere
or impacted the Earth are called ?falls.? All other meteorites are known as
?finds.?

According to NASA, most meteoroids disintegrate when entering the Earth?s
atmosphere. However, an estimated 500 meteorites ranging in size from marbles to
basketballs or larger do reach the surface each year. Few meteorites are large
enough to create impact craters. Instead, they typically arrive at the surface
at their terminal velocity and, at most, create a small pit, according to NASA.
Received on Sat 26 Dec 2009 12:01:55 AM PST