Episode 34
Ultima Thule (Episode 19) - The Faith, Facts, And Pseudoscience Of Meteorites (Parts 1 & 2)
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)
