If you live in Wisconsin or the Midwest, you may have seen or at least heard of what appeared to be a meteor streaking through the sky at approximately 10:00 PM CST last night. The question is, did the teabagging, frightwingers take their heads out of the sand long enough to also see the night sky?
Put your tinfoil hats on and work with me on this one.
Before going any further, be warned that this diary can be filed under the "Science meets Soothsayer" department. That being said, please read on.
The National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities put out a statement this morning:
"Just after 10 pm CDT Wednesday evening April 14th, a fireball or very bright meteor was observed streaking across the sky. The fireball was seen over the northern sky, moving from west to east.
"Well before it reached the horizon, it broke up into smaller pieces and was lost from sight. The fireball was seen across Northern Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Southern Wisconsin. Several reports of a prolonged sonic boom were received from areas north of Highway 20, along with shaking of homes, trees and various other objects including wind chimes. As of late Wednesday evening, it is unknown whether any portion of this meteorite hit the ground."
A neat video was taken by the Iowa Sheriff's Department. Pay special attention at the 30 second mark.
This far down the diary, you may be asking yourself what the heck the content has to do with the title. Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?
Experts believe that the fireball seen last night may have been a basketball-size meteor from a comet first discovered almost 250 years ago.
David Eicher, editor and chief of Astronomy Magazine, said that while it's believed the fireball seen Wednesday night was a meteor, that wouldn't be known for sure until and unless it is found on the ground. Astronomers believe if the object landed, it would have come down in the Great Lakes area. There were no reports that it had been found.
"It was an extraordinarily bright meteor," said Eicher. "As bright as this thing was, the odds are that it didn't completely burn up before it hit the ground."
Eicher believes that this specific meteor is part of the Lyrid meteorite showers which is a powerful shower that lasts from April 16 to April 26 each year. The comet that created this shower is called Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), named after A.E. Thatcher, who discovered it on April 4, 1861 from his home in New York City.
You've stayed with me this long, so it's time to wrap this thing up. If that date seems historically familiar, you'd be correct.
According to lore, the Thatcher comet was regarded with fear when it was first observed because it came after the raid on Fort Sumter by Confederate troops that started the Civil War.
Is this the sign the tea baggers and far right have been waiting for?
Will they embrace a scientific sign not taken from a list of talking points?
Was Sarah Barracuda able to see this meteor from her front porch after quickly flying home from Boston in a Lear Jet?
Inquiring minds want to know.
So there you have it. Talk amongst yourselves.