Meteorites: the great conundrum
Meteorites are one of the great conundrums or phenomena of astronomy, mysteries and enigmas of antiquity. They have perplexed and been revered by many ancient cultures around the world: regarded by some as 'Gifts from the Heavens' or thrown to earth as gifts; the Greeks used them in the Temple of Delphi and their chronicles are sprinkled profusely with references to them and their sacred importance; the famous Ka'aba in Saudia Arabia, where Muslims do the pilgrimage of Mecca is believed to be an ancient meteorite; hence, a meteorite was regarded and revered as a sacred stone, and those who possessed it could wield much power and impact (excuse the pun) upon their life and environs. Native Americans regarded them as so sacred – particulary the Navajo and Hopewell culture – guarding them with a vigilance as if guarding a mystical Grail, Ark or Philosopher's Stone – that they even deposited them in graves and hid them beneath rocks (1). And some Christian Fundamentalists interpret the Book of Revelation chapter 6 Verse 13: “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind”, as alluding to Meteorites (and of course a gigantic meteorite caused the manifold landscape destruction at Tunguska in Siberia in 1908). So it was when, at least the third Meteorite of 2010, hit Ireland on the evening of November 28, that I decided to explore their enigmatic pricelessness and write this article. For to quote John Milton in his famous poem Paradise Lost: “Lucifer shone..... like a meteor in the flaming air”.
The first meteorite to hit Ireland this year occured on the evening of Feb 3 at 6 PM. It was seen by many people around the country (2). (And as a curious example of serendipity, synchcronicity or bizarre coincidence, I was travelling in a car with a friend in County Leitrim and having a conversation about Gaelic mythology and how the famous mythical people, the Tuatha De Danaan, purportedly 'Set fire and burned their ships' after coming here, when Matt Cooper on his early evening current affairs show, reported being deluged with texts from listeners seeing 'Fireballs!' - anyway enough of this digression). The location of its impact was subsequently determined to be CRIMLIN in County Cavan ref.www.astronomyireland.ie; and herein is another slighly curious coincidence: the first of only three definitive hits in Ireland in the twentieth century occurred at a place called CRUMLIN in County Antrim in 1902 – almost identical to the placename for the February 3, 2010 Meteorite!
UNPRECEDENTED METEORITE HITS IN IRELAND
So the first meteorite to hit Ireland this year, arguably led to a chain, if you like, in that more followed; in May there was a report of one to hit the Emerald Isle in Cork but this wasn't verified; a verifiable second occurred on September 3 – whose possible location was somewhere in County Clare (3); and the aforementioned definite third of sunday November 28 (4). This is unprecedented in the historical archive of definitive Meteorite hits in Ireland! Could they be portents of something for the future? Let's look at a few interesting coincidences re. previous Meteorites...... on April 25, 1969, two Meteorites hit Ireland; one was found at Sprucefield, County Antrim, and the other was found 65 km north west of there in county Derry (5). It was after this the 'Troubles' started to accelerate in the north! The next hit was on November 28, 1999, and this Meteorite was found at Leighlinbridge, County Carlow (6). This was simultaneous to the protests at the WTO Summit in Seattle, Washington, which was the start of the socalled anti Globalisation movement, which subsequently involved massive demonstrations around the world in the new Millenium. And now leap forward to the recent third Meteorite, and what do we find? It also occurred on November 28! Hitting the Emerald Isle at 5.40 PM – this coincidentally and strikingly so - like beating a drum of infinite percussions – is the exact time the 'Bail Out' contents and conditions were being announced!!
So could it be that the first and second meteorites were building up to, ultimately, the recent third one, and that these are actual portents for “Ireland in the coming times” (WB Yeats). Could they herald the dawning of a rising of consciousness in the Irish people or indeed around the world or alternatively great hardship or economic travail, vis-a-vis the belief that a meteorite heralded the advent of the Dark Age? Conjecture but food for thought nonetheless leading on to something else....... But before I move on - some interesting things that happened subsequent to November 28, 1999 were:
- the Irish Government officially signed over their territorial claim to the North of Ireland;
- they signed Ireland into the Partnership for Peace (NATO under another name) which had repercussions for Irish neutrality;And direct rule of the north of Ireland passed from London to Stormont in the north via the power-sharing executive.
Interestingly these all pertain to changes in SOVEREIGNTY!
THE DIALECTIC OF SEEDING
An intriquing facet of meteorites is the hypothesis that meteorites have had the capacity to 'seed' new life in organisms; it's been found that meteorites, in the distant past, have produced such an eventuality (7). Basically, as meteorites, are fragments that break off dead asteroids, they are thus parts of objects (asteroids) that would have been born or engendered when the Solar System began and hence carried a DNA blueprint. This is an intriquing scenario; and again it could be linked to the ancient belief that a meteorite was a 'Sacred Stone' – 'A gift from the Heavens' or the debris, so to speak, from a galactic battle between angels. Hence, they could be analagous to the Elixirs of Life, the Philosopher's Stone or indeed the Alchemist's adamantine and priceless stone! So what if these at least three meteorites that have fallen to Ireland in the year 2010, could 'seed' some new organism to grow – or metaphorically signify some evolution or mutation in consciousness? A 'seeding' of some new organism/life? Or could it simply signify the 'Mother Goddess of the universe cometh?'
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH AN EYE WITNESS
To return to the recent meteorite, the following Q and A's were conducted with eye-witness, Miriam Kelly, of Monasterevin, County Kildare.
- What were the exact colours of of the fireball – body and tail etc?MK: It was white/yellow with a tint of green off the tail.
- For how long did you see it? And did you hear any sound afterwards?MK: When I spotted it, it only lasted a few seconds. Perhaps 4 -5 seconds. I was in the car driving so I did not hear any sound.
- How far away would you estimate it was and would you be able to judge in what direction it was travelling – north/south, east/west etc?MK: It's hard to tell the distance from the ground.. It was clearly visible in both colour and shape. It was almost moving towards a south west direction.
4. Have you ever seen anything similiar before – namely lights, bright flashes, lights in the sky?
MK: Yes, a few years ago, I was standing outside my house at night and saw a ball of light
fall straight down from the sky. It looked like it fell in the field beside me; it was that close.
But you never know the size of these things; it could have been miles away.
5. Would you say you have an interest in Astronomy?
MK: Yes, I never studied it – only Geography, but I've always had a general interest in it.
I own a telescope and am a member of Astronomy Ireland.
I own a telescope and am a member of Astronomy Ireland.
6.Did you notice or see ANYTHING strange afterwards, even in the next 48 hours?
MK: No, I never noticed anything.
7. Did you tell anyone else or do you know anyone else who saw it?
MK: No, I had seen comments on Facebook and heard about it on local radio.
8. Would you describe yourself as superstitious?
MK: No, not at all.
9. Did you report it to Astronomy Ireland, for instance?
MK: Yes.
What is certainly suggestive from this eye witness feedback is that the fireball was travelling southwest of Kildare, which would mean it was heading for county Laois on its onward trajectory!
HEALTH, RADIATION AND OTHER CONSEQUENTAL PHENOMENA OF METEORITES
In 2007, a Meteorite in Peru, was found to have caused sickness in people who were in close proximity to it; typical symptoms were nausea etc. It was reported as a 'mystery illness' (8). What is also often theorised is that the Chernobyl disaster was caused by a meteorite but this is of course, ill founded. (As an aside, an interesting movie postulates the radiation effects that a Meteorite can cause - although only fiction; it's called The Andromeda Strain.) How interesting it would be if anything similiar ocurred after other Meteorites, particularly any of Ireland's 'Roll of honour'('though it is said they are all safe and pose no health risks). A bizarre 'oddity' and piece of nomenclature of Meteorites is what's often referred to as “Starjelly”- explained as a type of pondscum emitting an odious smell at the site of a Meteorite. Such a phenomenon was reported in Ireland after a Meteorite hit in the late 1600's (10). It would be interesting to find if this has been noted after any of our recent meteorites!
CONCLUSION
The unprecedented occurrence of up to at least three Meteorites in Ireland this year; particularly the third one, having some interesting coincidences etc, makes me wonder could they be harbingers or portents for something in our future? Alternatively, they could simply represent an increasing prevalence of such wonders, rather than 'Signs in the sky'; but if so, a dramatic and astonishing strike rate for 2010! In essence, one thing is for sure, they are food for thought........... food of an exotic nature that will render the most conservative of taste buds relishing and salivating on them.
The unprecedented occurrence of up to at least three Meteorites in Ireland this year; particularly the third one, having some interesting coincidences etc, makes me wonder could they be harbingers or portents for something in our future? Alternatively, they could simply represent an increasing prevalence of such wonders, rather than 'Signs in the sky'; but if so, a dramatic and astonishing strike rate for 2010! In essence, one thing is for sure, they are food for thought........... food of an exotic nature that will render the most conservative of taste buds relishing and salivating on them.
The Fireballs
Tumbling down to Erin's fastness
the fireworks of the Heaven's kelp;
Tumbling down to Erin's fastness
the fireworks of the Heaven's kelp;
blazing last gasps of vastness
imploded like a lion's whelp
into the ether of sun dance;
did they herald a rebel romance?
into the ether of sun dance;
did they herald a rebel romance?
Fireballs glancing omniscient
what xray vision their aura;
the eye of Horus prescient
with love imbued aurora
like a sage's pure fire nascent?
Such a clutter in the airy stem
three fragments derail and swear
their allegiance to another gem
must burn off like a milky mare
metabolism o' Heaven's hem!
To shed unwanted skin they bored
what xray vision their aura;
the eye of Horus prescient
with love imbued aurora
like a sage's pure fire nascent?
Such a clutter in the airy stem
three fragments derail and swear
their allegiance to another gem
must burn off like a milky mare
metabolism o' Heaven's hem!
To shed unwanted skin they bored
great rocks broke and parted
like babes from umbilical cord
with sleight of feet darted
to earth - the prophet's fruit poured!
Three flints firing their sickle
like babes from umbilical cord
with sleight of feet darted
to earth - the prophet's fruit poured!
Three flints firing their sickle
with chants of the seraphs;
Fireballs pure the land tickle
for Erin's charms choreograph
in shards sprinkle their nickel
Enigmas to the Ast-
ronomer and Geologist
three great rocks hurtled fast
to the Emerald Isle like a fist
of galactic dynamite -
there was subtlety in their wrist!
Now reason three meteorite
ronomer and Geologist
three great rocks hurtled fast
to the Emerald Isle like a fist
of galactic dynamite -
there was subtlety in their wrist!
Now reason three meteorite
hit Ireland with a golden light
were they a message or a presage
or just lonely anchorites?
were they a message or a presage
or just lonely anchorites?
SOURCES
and reference Cosmic Meteorites by JG Burke
http://oceanfm.ie/news/2010/02/04fireball-sightings-in-sligo/
3) blogspot.com/2010/09/eire-ireland-meteormeteorite-news.html
6) As No. 5
7) news.nationalgeographic.com/.../080618-meteor-earth.html ref. Ker Than
by Marie-Catherine Mousseau ref. Meteorites: Clues to Solar System's origins
9) www.subversiveelement.com/skyfallsjelly.html
CREDITS
Thanks to Miriam Kelly for her eye witness information and my
Ukranian My Space and Facebook friend Tripillya Dan and also Yona Yavana for all the ideas, suggestions and pointers.
