Meteor in Man Burn

[Lonesomebri]

Was there a meteor in the Man when they burned it to the ground?

While watching the lingering flames, after the perimeter fell and the ravers went off to their gyrating, I watched a great performance piece where dusty hippies dug through the ashes and embers looking for the meteor. I was fascinated by the ebb and flow of labor, interest levels floating off for a while then returning with a vengeance, earnest plans carried out by chaotic drunks, the sudden need for everyone to pull at the blackened cables to clear a space, to search, then, losing interest there, some other important area to turn to, between retreating to the sidelines to discuss tactics. I heard a guy explain to his disappointed gal that they weren’t going to the sound camps because a meteor like that is worth something. One of the searchers brought out a rake. I asked some of the diggers about their quest. “A meteor was left in the Man, we are trying to find it!” Me, being a member of the Skeptics Society, and an all around asshole, asked. “Do you really believe that?” Adding, “There’s no meteor here.” My part in this pageantry was now cast.

The narrative rolled on, fitting seamlessly with the theme of this year’s event. “I saw it!!!” one man insisted as he leans in close, my inquiry interrupting their fevered search, a shadow of doubt that must be squashed out. “But they took lots of stuff out after they sealed the Man up before the burn.” I mention. “I saw it hanging below the Man!” he repeats as if I doubted him. Another searcher leans in, “The radio said the meteor was left in.”

I think of the Church Trap out on the playa, didn’t these folks understand any of that symbolism at all? “Maybe they’re just playing along with the cargo cult theme,” I suggest. With utter shock and confusion the searcher says “…they lied…?” Realizing these true believers need the long form, I explain how fitting it would be to convince people to do something pointless, based on nearly nothing, mostly the belief in something for nothing, as those on high have promised; That they were acting out the perfect cargo cult. The knot of them looked at me like I was a mad man. The only sympathetic gaze I received was from the girl itching to retreat to the sound camps. “Well, it’s better to believe in something…” one of them said as they returned to shuffling around in the dirt.

Was there a meteor? Am I a heretic or a voice of reason?

[Roberto Dobbisano]

[roody]

Yup, there was a meteorite in the Man base. It was about fist size and centered in the artwork that hung above the staircase. I have a picture of it. The object was pointed out by one of the man attendants that lead our group into the ship. I think she mentioned something about the org donating it.?? Or was it donated??

[Eric]

As far as I know the meteorite was left in the Man when it burned - Danger Ranger has a post on his fb wall asking if anyone found it.

I can't post the image of people hunting for it, but here's a link

[TinkerMom]

A guy from back East found it. I did not catch his name. But, I did snag the picture of it from
the photo website it was posted on.

I will keep digging for his name

[Lonesomebri]

Yup, there was a meteorite in the Man base. It was about fist size and centered in the artwork that hung above the staircase. I have a picture of it. The object was pointed out by one of the man attendants that lead our group into the ship.

Ahhh, once more, seeing it earlier means it HAD to be there when it burned, right? I saw it hanging in the man base before the burn, so what? I saw metal slides in there also, they took them out before the burn.
And that photo of the "meteor" sure looks like the heat fractured granite I got from the Temple burn....but with faith........

[Nipple]

I took one of the metal slides home with me.

[Lonesomebri]

Classic, classic........so, does anyone have an actual link indicating that it was officially left there? It's history? It's worth? Maybe the actual name of a real person who found it....? The photo doesn't look fist sized, but who is to let alittle thing like that slow down a belief system? I once had a cousin who had a friend, and they heard from the radio that..........

I love the photos from the morning after, because I watched them dig thru that whole area for hours the night before. There is no way any of those morning diggers would know if the meteor had already been found the night before, but then, that really isn't the point here at all, is it? Keep the faith!

The Cargo Cult lives.

[roody]

Yea, it looks smaller than I remember, but the same shape as the one that was found with a cord through it. Must be it.

[media]

[Lonesomebri]

Yes, the meteor was there in the video, so were all those people.....but they weren't there when it burned....get it?
At this point it's not the belief that a meteor was there that is funny, but what people actually consider undeniable "proof", whether the meteor was left there in the burn or not. Heck, I never personally saw anyone pull it from the ashes, so I have more "proof" that it wasn't there in the fire than pictures taken of it from before the burn "prove" that it was left there. I believe it was there hanging before the burn, I believe people saw it hanging there, I believe that people heard it was left there, I believe people said it was left there, I believe that someone would claim to have found it. That does not make something real. Yet that is sure undeniable proof, all that is needed to most, it seems. Heck, no wonder the churches and mosques and temples and etc are full. Again, what part of Cargo Cult is it that is so hard to grasp?

I really have no idea if the meteor was left there or not. Anyone else have anything that would indicate who found it, a name? Maybe some official looking indication from those who left it, that it was left? Maybe something rising an inch above hearsay and photos showing it way before the burn? Anything?

[theCryptofishist]

It wouldn't have melted in the heat, but shattering is likely.

[MikeGyver]

Thats not quite the shape I remember, but I didnt look too close, and I doubt there would be a hole through it.

I'm on your side Bri, Yes it was there before the burn but I was telling people on burn night that it probably wasn't there when it burned down and everyone I said it to agreed I was probably right. Even if it shows up somewhere my money is on whoever has it now didn't need to dig for it.

It would be awesome if that's actually how it went and it was actually burned and someone actually found it, but I just don't see it going that way.

[lucky420]

Yep I'm on the sceptic side too

[Lonesomebri]

Mysterious advanced beings (an art grant? Larrys wallet?) have through vague signs promised precious and rare gifts to those who perform acts of belief...

I'll tell you what, had Eric just simply replied that the meteor was there, period, my belief system would have accepted that.

[Lonesomebri]

A good belief system is like a happy woman....when you stick your finger in the hole it should be wet!!!!

[maladroit]

[Eric]

I'll tell you what, had Eric just simply replied that the meteor was there, period, my belief system would have accepted that.

You know, if one of the founders of the event, and member of the board that owns it, (and an incredibly respected member of the community) asks if anyone found it (implying it was there to find), I'll take that as proof-enough that it was in there. I don't need to doubt something just because I don't have Absolute Proof that it was there and I have to show how skeptical I am, especially if it's something that doesn't really matter in the greater scheme of things.

Sometimes it's just fun to believe, regardless of that Absolute Proof.
Or you can refuse to have a sense of wonder and demand literalism, not my problem.

[trilobyte]

I'm nudging this over to Experiences At Burning Man, since that's a better fit. Yes, there was a meteor. It was a fragment of a meteorite that fell in Nantan China in 1516. It was on display throughout the week, and burned with the man.

Shortly after the event, someone posted on reddit that they'd found it in the ashes at around 6:10am Sunday morning. Here's the pic they posted:

meteor.jpg

[lucky420]

WEll just go ahead and call me "doubting Thomas" then.

And no, I am not obsessed about this. I really dont give a shit, just putting my 2 cents in. which is exactly what my opinion on this is worth

[Lonesomebri]

Sometimes it's just fun to believe, regardless of that Absolute Proof.
Or you can refuse to have a sense of wonder and demand literalism, not my problem.

This is why we both go to church every Sunday, right?

This is why I love how this fits with this year's theme, it's better to believe in stuff with the popular kids rather than question alone.
Next years theme: Science VS. Magic.

I ask if anyone found bigfoot but that doesn't mean it exists. That's an assumption about the question, did anyone find it? I asked the same question, in fact. Ya need to direct the bigwigs over to reddit to get the inside dope on if it was found...

[trilobyte]

The Nantan meteor is a real thing with a fairly well-documented history (and metallurgy). While charred, the fragment retrieved from the ashes is metallic, and the same size and shape as the meteor fragment. Burning Man is sufficiently convinced of its authenticity, and is working with the person who found it to try and get the piece for display at the new SF office when that opens later this year.

[FIGJAM]

I captured Bigfoot in the late seventies and it's by the side of my house right now! (Authenticated by Nigel Tigernuts)

[Eric]

Sometimes it's just fun to believe, regardless of that Absolute Proof.
Or you can refuse to have a sense of wonder and demand literalism, not my problem.

This is why we both go to church every Sunday, right?

Wrong religion. Temple is on Friday night.

There is also a slight degree of difference in believing in a single being that created the entire universe but worries if you masturbate or not, and whether a piece of meteorite that was physically seen by thousands of people inside a structure was actually left inside that structure when it burned like the promoters of the event claim.

One takes belief in the the unknown & unknowable, and that a being with hundreds of billions of galaxies to watch over really cares about you and your pony.

The other takes belief that the creators of the event aren't lying to you about something so insipid as the location of a space-rock when The Man burned.

Again, I don't see a reason to be a skeptic over something as minor as this, when all signs point to it being correct, and I like the idea of the meteor making a fall to earth a second time from within the man.

[Lonesomebri]

Just curious.
My mistake.

I saw the meteor in the structure before the burn also. I don't doubt anyone saw it there. Check. Why bring that up?
I believe there was a Chinese meteor. Check. Why bring that up? Not my question.
I searched for an indication that the BM organization had left it, just a simple explanation, here on eplaya, on the main BM website, googling it, different combinations of search terms, and all I could find was people who had scene it earlier, photos of folks digging, plenty of qualifiers, indications from others that I don't see or understand wonder, even a person who said the same meteor was placed under the man every year, but I was curious about a background story I could find and read? Who paid for it? What was the idea behind leaving it? Just a bit of factual information.... Too much to want, I know, shows I'm a heretic, any day of the week, all the same to me.

[Lonesomebri]

“Yes, there was a meteor. It was a fragment of a meteorite that fell in Nantan China in 1516. It was on display throughout the week, and burned with the man.... Shortly after the event, someone posted on reddit that they'd found it in the ashes at around 6:10am Sunday morning.... I don't need to doubt something just because I don't have Absolute Proof that it was there and I have to show how skeptical I am, especially if it's something that doesn't really matter in the greater scheme of things.... Sometimes it's just fun to believe, regardless of that Absolute Proof....
Or you can refuse to have a sense of wonder and demand literalism, not my problem.”

“Burning Man is sufficiently convinced of its authenticity…”

Why would they care about authenticity? They know that meteors exist, right? Don’t they know about China? You tell ‘em! What more do they need? People saw the meteor before the burn. That should be proof enough for anyone. Why refuse to have a sense of wonder? Don’t tell me they want the actual literal meteor fragment. Sometimes it's just FUN to believe. Trying to prove how skeptical they are by relying on factual evidence... What horrible people! When I tried to find something out all I got was flak….

[trilobyte]

I only mentioned authenticity because other posters had expressed disbelief. Don't take the flak as being something specifically aimed at you, just a general disbelief or assumption that wires had gotten crossed. I didn't actually see it for myself (never went inside the ship), but had no trouble believing what I'd been told before, during, and after the event.