# Meteorites falling on your head

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 17, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785 "2012-08-17T15:20:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/21 "2012-08-18T15:33:53Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> What kind of evidence would convince you, at this point?

I would require a spectroscopic analysis to ensure that the composition matches that of known meteors. You can’t do that though, and I can’t think of anything home-brewed that would pass the sniff test.

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/22 "2012-08-18T16:59:55Z")

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If the NASA guys are right about 10,000 tons per day, the Earth has a surface area slightly over 2 billion square kilometers, so we’re talking about less than 5 micrograms per square meter per day, assuming equal distribution. You won’t catch much on a piece of paper, that’s for sure.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/23 "2012-08-18T18:21:18Z")

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> [@ZenBeam](#):
>
> Do you have any evidence at all?

Only what you gave already seen.

I’m not the first person to have done this. Are you doubtful of all the others too?

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/24 "2012-08-18T20:07:48Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> Are you doubtful of all the others too?

Yes, unless they’ve actually done the proper tests.

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**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/25 "2012-08-18T20:34:58Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> I’m not the first person to have done this. Are you doubtful of all the others too?

I’m not doubtful that you and others found little particles.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/26 "2012-08-18T21:39:49Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> I would require a spectroscopic analysis to ensure that the composition matches that of known meteors. You can’t do that though, and I can’t think of anything home-brewed that would pass the sniff test.

Reading around a bit, it seems that a test for Nickel is considered conclusive by many - and that’s fairly simple to do.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meteorites-falling-on-your-head/631785/27 "2012-08-18T21:41:00Z")

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> [@ZenBeam](#):
>
> I’m not doubtful that you and others found little particles.

Thank you. That actually tells me everything I needed to know.

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