[meteorite-list] Fake Norway rock

From: Chris Peterson <clp_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 07:58:00 -0600
Message-ID: <5346A368.7060507_at_alumni.caltech.edu>

One other comment on the matter. "Debunk" is almost always pejorative,
implying that the thing being debunked was fraudulent, or complete
rubbish. We debunk astrology. We debunk pseudoscientific claims. But
there's nothing to suggest that the original claim was anything other
than honest and reasonable- a video that accidentally captured something
that might reasonably be interpreted as a falling meteorite.

Even if some piece of evidence actually disproved that hypothesis, we
should simply say that it was "disproved", not "debunked".

Chris

*******************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

On 4/10/2014 3:03 AM, Marco Langbroek wrote:
>
> Phil Metzger, who has in the past extensively modelled falling debris at
> Shuttle launches, has used his models to analyze the video. He concludes
> that while a (large) meteorite at distance cannot be fully excluded, the
> footage is also consistent with a small rock (pebble size: ~3.3 cm)
> falling out of the parachute:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/qglu7vp
>
> I agree with Chris: while a meteorite is still a distinct possibility
> and has therefore not been 100% debunked, the falling pebble from
> parachute explanation now seems the most likely one.
>
> - Marco
Received on Thu 10 Apr 2014 09:58:00 AM PDT