January 12, 2007
A loud boom from the bathroomScience and Technology
I was in the middle of a meeting at work this morning when a co-worker (a meteorite expert no less) forwarded me an article about the strange goings-on in a New Jersey bathroom. I knew that I would have to write a post about it before going to bed:
 |
|
|
A hole in the roof, a bathroom full of debris and a strange, silvery rock near the toilet — the Nageswaran family soon realized they needed an astronomer, not a contractor, to fully explain what damaged their house.
Scientists determined it was a meteorite that crashed through the roof of their central New Jersey home more than a week ago.
While extraterrestrial rocks fall to the Earth with some regularity, it is rare for them to strike homes.
“The fact that something from outer space hit our house … it’s overwhelming,” said Shankari Nageswaran in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. [Link]
Apparently the grandma heard sounds in the bathroom that didn’t sound like those she typically associated with her son:
On the night of Jan. 2, Nageswaran walked into his bathroom and spotted a hole in the ceiling and noticed small chunks of drywall and insulation littering the room.
His mother, who has been staying with the family, recalled that she had heard a loud boom and thought it was a post-New Year’s fireworks explosion. But that didn’t explain the mess in the bathroom. [Link]
 |
|
Don’t those look more like bloody footprints? |
 |
|
I’ll bet this ends up on Ebay within 24 hours. |
Turns out it is an iron meteorite, a type of find that scientists love for what it tells us about the origins of our solar system. Think of these objects as the left-over construction material after all the houses (the planets) were built.
About 50 meteorites reach the Earth’s surface each year, but with humans occupying only a small part of the planet, there is only one report every year or two of meteorites hitting buildings, said Tim McCoy, curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s meteorite collection.
Every meteorite serves as a “poor man’s space probe,” yielding information on how the solar system formed, McCoy said.
“There’s been fewer than 5,000 meteorites found over the surface of the Earth in the recorded history of mankind,” McCoy said. “Every time we get a new one, it’s an important event…” [Link]
abhi on January 12, 2007 12:00 AM in Humor, News, Science and Technology · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
I hope they have insurance for meteorites.
Mr. Nageswaran: "Um...we? Uh...yea...heh...awkward. Sorry bud, but this is going on the mantle next to the sandalwood Ganesh and our son's spelling bee trophy. But hey: if you help it clean up, those chunks of drywall are all yours."
I guess this is what that astrologer meant when he said Mars is in the seventh house this January. Where's Uranus?
That is quite weird if you think about it - a meteor from the vast outer space hits specifically your home, something like a man in Iraq cursing himself that a random American bomb lands specifically on his home. I also wonder what Hindu beliefs have to say about meteorites. I know there's stuff about eclipses, but I couldn't find anything related to meteorites.
Thank heavens they didnt tout this as a sign of laxmi to parvesh their ghar
why...desis have to be proper all the time? just say it like it is and SELL that baby!
5 bucks says the insurance company will not pay.
It depends, it will be covered if it an 'Act of God', so is it? :)
Sell that sucker on ebay. You can probably make enough to not only fix the roof but redo the entire house.
It's so shiny! Did they polish it? Wouldn't it look all black and charred?
I'm glad no one got hurt. Speaking of things from outer space falling to Earth, check out this amazing video taken last week. Supposedly a Russian space rocket fell over Colorado, breaking into tiny flaming bits that just happened to get caught on camera.
so,
chances of meteorite striking desi's home: about 20%
chances of meteorite striking desi's home in the US: about 2%
chances of meteorite striking desi's home in NJ: about 40%??
This story has been all over the local news and everyone's been making fun of it. Funny that it was a desi family.
Cinamon, I thought insurace did NOT cover act's of god (well unless you had flood and earthquake insurance).
I'm so jealous.
lol, i wish someone would just drop a couple hundred grand in my apt.
yesterday.
a loud boom in the bathroom blew my ass away.
i lit a match to clear the ripe away.
o! i had beans yes-ter-dayyyy..
yesterday.
This could be turned into a funny sketch on Goodness Gracious Me
Btw, the meteor damage will be covered under "objects falling from the sky". This section covers stuff like airplanes and meteors.
Really! I wonder what 'object fell from the sky' that made them add that!
Can you imagine? I'm surprised no one fainted in shock.
This is how I got Spacecat-hence the name. Fuzzy black astronaut feel outta the sky. :)
"Beita, vot you are doing in dere?!"
"the grandma heard sounds in the bathroom that didnt sound like those she typically associated with her son..."
Only you, Abhi, only you! Thanks for a really good laugh!
Could have been a leopard...
Then there are those stories (apocryphal?) about boa constrictors or baby alligators coming up into people's toilets in Florida...