July 25, 2001 – I saw the meteorite. What were the chances of that? What were the chances of my being outside at an outdoor screening of a patch of blue.
It was around 1800 and i was looking North towards the White House from the base of the Washington Monument.
Sitting on a blanket.
The only reason why i was looking towards the sky and not a all the brilliant-looking women staking claim to their blankets on the mall’s raggedy grass is because i was trying to get a good look at M., K., and S. who where sweltering down field, under a tree. Well, I was looking out over the field, trying to see them through the people.
In a second, from the edge of my vision, a fiery streak came out of infinity. Truthfully, I knew it came from the atmosphere, but it moved so quickly across my field of vision that i thought it was much closer. It covered the distance from the shell of blue (beyond which is space i guess) to where it burnt out in the time it takes to whip a fireworks sparkler in front of you.
The quality of the experience reminded me of a magician’s flash paper, that runs hot and bright and yellow until it burns itself right before the deck.
I thought I was seeing some alien-technology going on. Some force field incinerator zapping incoming bogies. As this unknown object hurtles towards the White house and the black-ops defensive measure activates and vaporizes the supersonic projectile.
The truth is even cooler than that. The Times reports, “Some people reported explosions or thunder, and felt their homes shake. In Montoursville, Pa., there was a report of a “big red ball” in the sky and broken windows from a sonic boom, a police dispatcher said.” CNN reported, “About 35 miles to the northwest near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Chief Jerold Ross of the Larry’s Creek Volunteer Fire Department was investigating a scorched section of a corn field measuring 25 feet by 20 feet” and “There was an obvious patch, about 25 yards by 50, that was covered by ash and was knocked down. The corn had bb-like holes in it and some of it was curled” and “Or it could be from a meteor shower or just a stray asteroid, meteoroid. People have been calling it a bolide, and what a bolide is … is just a meteor or an asteroid that explodes and makes a sound. If it makes a sound, we call it a bolide.” The Post had nothing of value.
I am going to explore what the paranoids are saying!
