No Character Limit Robert Thuerck

This is the first of four episodes dedicated to some of the biggest meteorite impacts in the history of the Earth. Today's episode is dedicated to the most mysterious - the 1908 Tunguska Event. What is actually known about what happened on that June morning in Siberia over a century ago? Where does the baseless speculation end and the evidence begin? In this episode we look at the evidence left behind by the only meteoritics expert who went to investigate - Leonid Kulik - and see what professionals today have to say about the most powerful event in recent history. (24/29)
Subscribe!
Link To This Episode!
Sources For This Episode
Support No Character Limit
Paypal
Mastodon/Reddit
Main Page

In the last episode we explored how much people will pay to possess a meteorite and the wide ranging prices depending on the type of meteorite. But we saved the most valuable meteorites for this episode starting with the pallasite, which can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars for a slice. We learn about the first widely studied pallasite found by Peter Simon Pallas, a brilliant naturalist that does not get the recognition today that he deserves for helping the scientific community understand the natural world. The other valuable meteorites are those from other planets like Mars or even our own Moon. Then we dive into the some of the largest meteorite collections in the world that are worth millions of dollars. Finally, we explore one of the most mysterious meteorite landfalls of the modern world and the unusual situation meteorite hunters found themselves in after traveling to the remote region of Carancas, Peru. Did this meteorite truly make people sick? (23/29)
Subscribe!
Link To This Episode!
Sources For This Episode
Support No Character Limit
Paypal
Mastodon/Reddit
Main Page

What happens when a rock from space falls onto our planet of complex property and ownership rights? Is it finders keepers? Is it owned by whose property it lands on? What if it hits you, do you own it? Welcome to the wild world of ownership rights of meteorites. In this episode we learn about some of the most well known meteorite hunters including Mike Farmer, Robert Ward, Darryl Pitt, and Robert Haag who both compete and collaborate with each other. Learn about Ann Hodges who was hit by a meteorite in the 1950s who ended up having to pay money for the meteorite while a nearby farmer sold another piece of the same meteorite for enough money to buy a house and a car. Auction houses like Bonhams and Christie's have documented what people will pay for all kinds of meteorites and in this episode we explore some of the prices different meteorites go for. Finally, can a meteorite be stolen? We follow the histories of two major meteorites - Willamette and Campo Del Cielo - and explore the ethics of claiming a meteorite for yourself. Owning a piece of the heavens is likely more complex than you originally thought. (22/29)
Subscribe!
Link To This Episode!
Sources For This Episode
Support No Character Limit
Paypal
Mastodon/Reddit
Main Page

What is a meteor shower and how is it different from the lone fireball streaking across the sky? It turns out that meteor showers don't come from asteroids but instead comets. In fact, debris from meteor showers, unlike fireballs, very rarely ever make it to the ground, burning up on the way down. This has made it extremely difficult for scientists to study remnants from comets on Earth so instead scientists decided to leave Earth and go to them. The first mission to a comet - Giotto - was a huge international undertaking to chase down the most famous of them all - Halley's Comet. With the success of Giotto, multiple other missions have since gone to other comets around the solar system bringing back exciting results with glimpses into the Universe and even the possible origins of life. Finally, we learn about the greatest meteor storms in recorded history and how it led to people believing that they were living through the end of the world. (21/29)
Subscribe!
Link To This Episode!
Sources For This Episode
Support No Character Limit
Paypal
Mastodon/Reddit
Main Page

In the last episode we explored how meteors and meteorites have been intertwined with faith as far back as ancient Egypt and in to the modern day. But this fascination has a dark side - it creates large quantities of misinformation - both unintentional and intentional. In this episode we explore both kinds through looking at other possible historical meteorites including an alleged Nazi Tibetan meteorite statue, the Ephesian Artemis, and the original Magna Mater statue that was brought to Rome from Anatolia. We also follow the history of the earliest recorded meteorite recovery - Ensisheim. Through following the history of the Ensisheim meteorite we see how people tried to grapple with the idea that rocks fell from the sky as well as how both science and faith can both lead to errors in thinking. It took the brilliance of one man - Ernst Chladni - to put the first true theory together and become immortalized as the Father of Meteoritics. With many parallels to the modern world this episode can also help us reflect on our own consumption of information and the conclusions we choose to make. (20/29)
Subscribe!
Link To This Episode!
Sources For This Episode
Support No Character Limit
Paypal
Mastodon/Reddit
Main Page

As extraterrestrial visitors meteors and meteorites have always fascinated humanity, but what role have meteorites played in the realm of faith? Whether it is the ancient crater at Lonar Lake in India, fireballs that fly across the sky over the Pacific Island of Mer, and possibly even the Black Stone of Kaaba, sacred to Islam there are signs that meteors and meteorites have a special role across all faiths of the world. One of the most ancient examples of this may have possibly been the venerated Benben stone of ancient Egypt, a symbol that is still found on American money today. In this episode we explore some of the known ancient Egyptian connections to meteorites and space as well as the city that was allegedly built around a meteorite and became the most well known temple-city of the the ancient world - Heliopolis. But how much is true and how much are we rewriting history and only seeing what we want to see? When we are eager to see something it's important to pull back and consider what is speculative and what is true. (19/29)
Subscribe!
Link To This Episode!
Sources For This Episode
Support No Character Limit
Paypal
Mastodon/Reddit
Main Page