Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Historic planetary instability and catastrophe. Evidence for electrical scarring on planets and moons. Electrical events in today's solar system. Electric Earth.
Bazil_SW
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Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:59 am

Hi All,

I've got an interesting event for discussion.

I live in Birmingham, UK. On the evening of 17th July, a fast moving fireball object (assumed meteor) broke apart mid-air showering low density porous brown/red fragments on our drive and garden.  We heard it happen and our CCTV caught the event directly, and another from up the road caught the fireball streaking in the sky.  The sound was unusual; a high pitched warbling whistle with an underlying hum, like rapidly discharging electricity, or maybe plasma.  One fragment was recovered <12hrs later, after it was seen to ricochet off the house and land on the drive in the footage, with more found in the bushes later on.  Some fragments are more melted, fused, blackened (and even vitrified) than others, and many can be pieced together.  I believe several fragments can be matched to the 'explosion' of the object caught on film.

I've approached several meteorite experts and the Natural History Museum (London), all of whom dismiss the fragments as slag, and state that meteors do not incandesce at such low altitudes - though I feel this explanation does not satisfy the evidence.  I've corresponded with Professors Chandra Wickramasigne and Richard B.Hoover, and they agree there's a similarity of the fragments to the Polonnaruwa stones they studied in 2013.  In their paper they conclude the likely origin of that material was a cometary body. 
 
I had brief EDX & SEM (compositional) studies done on three fragments, they are rich in carbon (typ. > 50%), oxygen, moderate silicon and trace metals.  Some fragments conduct electricity very well, even at low voltages.  Typ. density is <1 g/cm3, though there is significant variation even between fragments that fit together, and it's a mix of non and slightly magnetic pieces.  As a whole, it's a mixed bag of 'loosely' held together materials, this is especially true when fragments are viewed under a microscope.

My hypothesis is that these are fragments of carbonaceous chondrite, possibly from a comet, and it was incandescing at such a low altitude because the high carbon lattice-like structure meant it was highly charged by passing through the air at high speed, and the glow and sound we heard was a result of plasma or some other electrical discharge.

Some, of many, images are shared below.

Has anyone come across anything similar, and have any thoughts on my hypothosis?

Cheers,
Shaun

-------------------------------
Hosted on imgur

CCTV - Ours slowed down: https://i.imgur.com/WRx4eno.mp4
CCTV - From 0.1 Miles away: https://i.imgur.com/21GvZaD.mp4
Image of the object breaking apart (composite image created of the differences per frame): https://i.imgur.com/CRhEjXg.jpg
Some fragments I consider can be matched to the image of it breaking apart: https://i.imgur.com/UJAoYsz.jpg
Largest Fragment: https://i.imgur.com/sNSNn8M.jpg / https://i.imgur.com/8POhfIV.jpg
Surface of the largest fragment: https://i.imgur.com/uxR0PYB.jpg / https://i.imgur.com/TpqsqHh.jpg
Some more fragment fitted together: https://i.imgur.com/qWqrl3i.jpg

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Brigit
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Brigit » Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:43 pm

by Bazil_SW » Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:59 am
I had brief EDX & SEM (compositional) studies done on three fragments, they are rich in carbon (typ. > 50%), oxygen, moderate silicon and trace metals. Some fragments conduct electricity very well, even at low voltages. Typ. density is <1 g/cm3, though there is significant variation even between fragments that fit together, and it's a mix of non and slightly magnetic pieces. As a whole, it's a mixed bag of 'loosely' held together materials, this is especially true when fragments are viewed under a microscope.

My hypothesis is that these are fragments of carbonaceous chondrite, possibly from a comet, and it was incandescing at such a low altitude because the high carbon lattice-like structure meant it was highly charged by passing through the air at high speed, and the glow and sound we heard was a result of plasma or some other electrical discharge.
Well I'd at least like to congratulate you on the priceless new addition to your rock collection, which landed in your own garden!

I am always happy when people make a wonderful find and keep it, rather than giving it to Universities, etc. After all, you had the keeness to recognize a beautiful rock.

In my view, your hypothesis is well-supported by all of the near-earth action around the time of July 17th, 2020.
“Oh for shame, how these mortals put the blame upon us gods, for they say evils come from us, when it is they rather who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given…”
~Homer

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JP Michael
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by JP Michael » Sat Nov 14, 2020 12:24 am

What would be even more amazing is if you sent a fragment to Jacob Gable or Electric Universe Eyes so they could put it through its paces in some electrical vacuum experiments.

Awesome work.

Bazil_SW
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Sat Nov 14, 2020 8:50 am

Thank you!

Yeah, it's been a journey so far, no Universities or institutions were really interested, most people dismiss the event. However, Prof. Wickramasigne is interested and has arranged for his contacts in Sri Lanka to investigate some fragments. They arrived this morning and they will work them up as they did the Polonnaruwa stones in 2013 (it's the same SEM team too). I think they are particularly interested in finding fossilized microbiology as before, but the fragments have some other very unusual surface features worthy of investigation too, which I have discussed with them. Hopefully this will yield some good results.

As for the electrical side of it, that sounds like a great idea, I'll contact Jacob and the EUE team.

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Brigit
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Brigit » Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:59 pm

by Bazil_SW » Sat Nov 14, 2020 8:50 am
"Wickramasigne is interested and has arranged for his contacts in Sri Lanka to investigate some fragments. They arrived this morning and they will work them up as they did the Polonnaruwa stones in 2013 (it's the same SEM team too). I think they are particularly interested in finding fossilized microbiology as before, but the fragments have some other very unusual surface features worthy of investigation too, which I have discussed with them. Hopefully this will yield some good results."

I am glad to hear they will compare it to the other stones. We'd all love to hear more about that, especially these unusual surface features.

Do you suppose this fragment is returning home from outer space?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... fornia.jpg
“Oh for shame, how these mortals put the blame upon us gods, for they say evils come from us, when it is they rather who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given…”
~Homer

Bazil_SW
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Sun Nov 15, 2020 11:02 am

That is possible too. The low density, 'looseness' of the materials, and lack of consistency are unusual though. My sister-in-law has a degree in Geology and has not seen anything like it.

For info, the EDX & SEM results (mentioned in the initial post) are linked, as are my own density and relative magnetic attraction studies.

EDX & SEM Results (3 Fragments @ Warwick University, UK): https://www.dropbox.com/s/kmnjexveoo4li ... s.pdf?dl=0
Density and Relative Magnetic Attraction: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gs8iojnd89uvb ... y.pdf?dl=0

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paladin17
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by paladin17 » Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:29 am

Asteroids typically have densities of around 2 g/cm^3, so what you describe (if it comes from space after all) sounds more like a piece of a comet - they usually have densities around 0.7 g/cm^3.

Bazil_SW
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Sat Nov 21, 2020 2:45 pm

The fragments that are not melted or fused are about 0.7 g/cm3, so that would fit my hypothesise.

Sadly, I'm still struggling to engage any meteorite experts to further that side of the investigation.

I started to assemble it, albeit crudely. It's more blackened and melted on one side than the others: https://i.imgur.com/a3Yx2ol.jpg

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nick c
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by nick c » Wed Dec 09, 2020 3:09 pm

A colleague brought this report to my attention and I thought that it was very similar to the report in this thread.

https://cnycentral.com/news/local/anoth ... l-new-york

Bazil_SW
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Mon Dec 28, 2020 5:55 pm

Wow, that's a good boom. We didn't hear a boom, just a warbling whistle with underlying hum, and very pronounced doppler shift, as it was heading right towards our open windows!

Sadly the investigation has stalled because of covid restrictions, but the initial results and images shows some interesting things...

Bazil_SW
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:12 pm

Hi all.  

I was curious why the fragments are generally black inside, but have a brown tinge on the outside, so I heated the edge of an all black fragment on a gas hob until it glowed red, so it would have been 600-800 deg C.  As it cooled it started to turn brown on the outside, and with more heat the browner it went.

From the images and under the microscope you can see the difference of the heat affected zone. The main structure is unaffected, presumably as it's highly carbonaceous (carbon has a very high melting temp) but the outside is now coated, unevenly, in a brown substance.  It smelt of something but pretty nondescript, I expected the smell of hot tar (VOCs), but I didn't get that at all.

Given that carbon melts at around 3.5k deg C, and atmospheric entry achieves roughly 2.9k deg C max, it could suggest the melting (and vitrification I've seen) of some fragments might not happen due to atmospheric heating alone, but plasma would be more than hot enough.  

Vitrification: https://i.imgur.com/SmyuNGF.jpg, https://i.imgur.com/FwPsOeZ.jpg
Video of the heating: https://i.imgur.com/W8jRss1.mp4
Before left side(I'd already heated the right side): https://i.imgur.com/cBkcZnW.jpg
After left side: https://i.imgur.com/hbmUuY2.jpg
Microscope images: https://i.imgur.com/JlnrNnA.jpg, https://i.imgur.com/83C3WzM.jpg

Bazil_SW
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Re: Birmingham, UK (assumed) Meteorite Fall and Recovered Fragments

Unread post by Bazil_SW » Wed Nov 10, 2021 7:33 pm

Hello all.  

For anyone interested the latest detail on this is here: https://www.scienceforums.net/topic/125 ... inside-it/

All the results I have are posted with some really good images too.  Even after significant analysis, noone knows what the material is, so the mystery continues.

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