Category: signs in the sky

Posted in bolide, fireball, meteors, signs in the sky

Are there more meteors?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Wow, there are a lot of meteors, bolides, and comets crossing the skies these days.

A meteor crossed the skies of the United States last night and was seen from New England to Florida.
“East Coast residents were buzzing on social media sites and elsewhere Friday night after a brief but bright flash of light streaked across the early-evening sky –in what experts say was almost certainly a meteor coming down. Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environmental Office said the flash appears to be “a single meteor event.” He said it “looks to be a fireball that moved roughly toward the southeast, going on visual reports.” “Judging from the brightness, we’re dealing with something as bright as the full moon,” Cooke said. “The thing is probably a yard across. We basically have (had) a boulder enter the atmosphere over the northeast.” He noted that the meteor was widely seen, with more than 350 reports on the website of the American Meteor Society (AMS) alone.”

More at link.

Current data from AMS on recent meteor sightings

AMS Heat Map For March 22nd, 2013 Northeast Fireball

I wonder if there are more meteors. It seems like there are. But is that just because we have instant access to the internet, twitter, instagram, cell phones with video and photography abilities? Let’s look at the data that the American Meteor Society has kept. The AMS keeps track of called-in sightings and verifies each one. “The American Meteor Society has published a statistical analysis of fireball events reported to the society since 2005. This report is not intended to be a conclusive study regarding the rates of fireball meteors, but simply a representation of the data logged by our systems. The article also includes an appendix of the most significant sonic boom producing bolide events reported to the society over the last 8 years.” Here is their result–

Caption: “Not only are more reports being submitted , but also more unique events are being created. The following is a graph of unique fireball events registered by the AMS each year from January 2005 through February 27, 2013.”

You can see that there have been equal or more sightings reported in the first two months of 2013 than in the entirety of each year between the years 2005-2009. You can also see that 2012 was a banner year for sightings.

In a different kind of celestial display, the comet panSTARRS is visible in the northern hemisphere. As it rides higher it fades but one can still see it with the naked eye! They call 2013 the Year of the Comets, as this headline from Space.com explains,

2013 May See Brightest Celestial Show in Years
“This year could be the “year of the comet,” according to some astronomers keeping an eye on icy balls of gas and dust roaming through the solar system. Two comets will brighten the Northern Hemisphere in a potentially history-making fashion, with the first one coming into view this week.” (March 7). … Then, in November, the most anticipated comet of the year should come into view for stargazers. Comet ISON could be the brightest comet to grace the skies in memory.”

Here is a photo going around in Facebook of PanSTARRS, the comet mentioned above coming into view starting March 7-

Below, Astronomy Photo of the Day (APOD): The broad dust tail of Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) has become a familiar sight for many northern hemisphere comet watchers, as the comet fades but rises higher above the western horizon after sunset. This view of the popular comet may seem a little fantastic, though. Sweeping away from the Sun and trailing behind the comet’s orbit, the curving dust tail also seems to stream away from a shining mountaintop castle. Comet Castle might be an appropriate name in this scene, but its traditional name is Castle Hohenzollern. Taken on March 15 with an extreme telephoto lens, the Comet Castle image was captured in exceptionally clear skies about 80 kilometers away from Stuttgart, Germany.”

The APOD comet pan-STARRS gallery is here if you want to see more photos.

With increasing interest in the increasing celestial displays, the question was asked as to what to do if a large asteroid was headed to earth and on collision course with NYC? The NASA guy said “pray.”

Large asteroid heading to Earth? Pray, says NASA
“NASA chief Charles Bolden has advice on how to handle a large asteroid headed toward New York City: Pray.”

“That’s about all the United States – or anyone for that matter – could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, Bolden told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing on Tuesday. An asteroid estimated to be have been about 55 feet (17 meters) in diameter exploded on February 15 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. More than 1,500 people were injured.”

“Later that day, a larger, unrelated asteroid discovered last year passed about 17,200 miles (27,681 km) from Earth, closer than the network of television and weather satellites that ring the planet. The events “serve as evidence that we live in an active solar system with potentially hazardous objects passing through our neighborhood with surprising frequency,” said Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat.”

“We were fortunate that the events of last month were simply an interesting coincidence rather than a catastrophe,” said Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, who called the hearing to learn what is being done and how much money is needed to better protect the planet.”

Yes, that’s what is needed, money to protect the planet. Sigh.

These startling and sudden events do have people thinking though. First, it tells us in no uncertain terms that we are more vulnerable than we thought we were to spaceballs lobbed at us from afar. Second, though the NASA guy’s answer to pray was undoubtedly off-hand, it does bespeak the adage that there are no atheists in foxholes. When we look around and there is no answer, look up.

God is in control of the cosmos and everything in it!

“To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14).

He orders the seasons. He named the stars. He set the planets on their courses. He said that as an indication of His soon return, He will alert us by showing us He rules the cosmos. In the Tribulation He will uncreate the cosmos as He created them in Genesis. Geneva bible states the timing in its discussion of the Luke 21:25 verse: “When the times have expired which are appointed for the salvation of the Gentiles and the punishment of the Jews:”

“sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up…” (Revelation 6:12-14).

“The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. (Revelation 8:10-11a)

“The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.” (Revelation 8:12).

That one is the one that gets me. How will the scientists explain a THIRD of the sun going dark. Whether that means literally a third will be a black stripe, or a third as much of the sun’s rays will shine, it will result in a third of night and a third of day. Only a God who controls the cosmos can do that.

Luke 21:25 sums it up, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,”

There is no doubt that there are more meteors, historic and unprecedented solar and celestial activity, by the data and by their own words. There is no doubt that the LORD is in control of the cosmos, by His Own word. Therefore if there are more celestial anomalies and events  happening, it is the Lord’s doing.

What it means I leave up to you to pray for wisdom to learn. But, keep looking up.

Posted in florida, salvation, signs in the sky

Another meteor-fireball, this one in South Florida

Posted on by elizabethprata

In the wake of four unexpected and spectacular astronomical events this week, comes another. By the way, the Weather Underground blog says that “The odds of the largest meteor strike in 100 years occurring on the same day as the closest asteroid approach in 15 years are about 1 in 200 million”.

Earlier this week, an asteroid flew by earth at a mere distance of 17,000 miles, very close. It was the closest fly-by in recorded history of a non-satellite nature. In addition, on the same day no less, three major meteor sightings occurred. The one that happened in the Russian Urals was especially interesting, being the largest meteor to crash to earth in 100 years, injuring 1,200 people and causing absolute panic. The two other meteor sightings occurred in San Francisco and Cuba.

It should be noted that there is no ongoing meteor shower the earth is passing through. These space rocks just appear and suddenly they are crashing down on our heads.

One thing to notice especially of the Russian Meteor is the suddenness of its appearance. With all the satellites, NASA money to roam Mars, and telescopes looking at and radios listening to space, the Russian meteor snuck by them all and boomed into land before we could say Boy Howdy. Now if that doesn’t bode ill for the Tribulation, then what does? It made me think of Revelation 8:10-11,

“The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.”

Or Revelation 8:8,

“The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.”

These events will occur in the time of the Tribulation, the 7-year period where Jesus punishes the world for its sins via His wrath in a series of judgments from 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls. It has not begun yet but one can certainly see the suddenness of a burning mountain thrown into the sea could easily be a undetected meteor appearing out of nowhere.

Another meteor shower has occurred, this time in South Florida. They are calling this one a ‘sporadic’ meteor, because it is not attached to any known meteor shower happening anywhere earth. In other words, it appeared out of nowhere, all on its own. This just in:

Possible meteor shower sighting in South Florida
“Some South Floridians reported seeing bright, flare-like objects disappear into the sky Sunday night, in what resembled a meteor shower. The Coast Guard’s command center starting receiving reports of a possible meteor shower at about 7:30 p.m., said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Sabrina Laberdesque. Laberdesque said the Coast Guard could neither confirm nor deny whether it was, in fact, a meteor shower. The Coast Guard sent out a helicopter to check on a report of a flare but found nothing. Laberdesque said there were no injuries and no boats in distress after the reported sightings. The Broward Sheriff’s Office also reported receiving several calls from locals claiming there were “lights in the sky.” On Friday, a meteor exploded about 15 miles overhead near the Russian town of Chelyabinsk. More than 1,100 people were reportedly injured.”

NBC Miami reported,
“South Floridians who happened to be looking in the right place at the right time Sunday night saw one spectacular light show – possibly a sporadic meteor. People called in, describing the flares “as orange or red fireballs in the sky,” Laberdesque said. The display was limited to the sky: No injuries were reported, Laberdesque said. A sporadic meteor is basically a rocky object that comes from the asteroid belt, said Mike Hankey, operations manager for the American Meteor Society, based in Genesee, N.Y. The group logged 27 reports within about the first two hours of the event, he said. “This is a lot of reports to come in quickly,” Hankey said. Gauging by the reports, it happened somewhere over the ocean. “These fireballs are common,” Hankey said. “It’s rare for any one person to see one more than once or twice in their lifetime.”

http://media.nbcmiami.com/assets/pdk449/pdk/swf/flvPlayer.swf?pid=_yneGWiWDuuR

View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

They reported seeing it from Jacksonville to Key West, pretty much the length of all of Florida. I looked at the video, it IS pretty spectacular!

The most interesting part, to me, is where the newscaster says that because of our newly heightened awareness of meteors, that fewer people were scared, and more people correctly identified what it was. The citizen observer being interviewed confirmed this.

Are they becoming so jaded, so quickly, that seeing a spectacular sight that only occurs once or twice in a lifetime is now an “Oh, well, ho-hum, another fireball streaking across the sky”? I hope not.

The power of a creator God to alert His people to His presence should never get old, and hopefully would have the intent it should have: inquisitiveness toward the Gospel.

Pastor JD Farag reported that this indeed is happening. He is a pastor in Hawaii who gives a weekly prophecy update on Sunday evenings. He said that more non-Christians than Christians are seeking to know why it really does seem like it is nearing the end of the world. They sense that the things we have been saying are true and want to know more. This is a praise to the Lord, who seeks His sheep with all diligence. (Matthew 18:12).

As the gap between saved and unsaved grows ever wider, the fence-sitters will soon lose their standing and have to choose a side to settle on.

Source

The unsaved are looking up and seeing meteors. We Christians are looking up to watch for the coming of our Lord and Savior. May He come soon to collect His sheep! You can join us, by being saved today:

Posted in asteroid, signs in the sky

Signs in the sky- FOUR astronomical events stun the world: Asteroid flyby, meteors in Russia, Cuba and SF, all on same day

Posted on by elizabethprata

Yesterday an enormous meteor entered earth’s atmosphere, swung low, and for 32 seconds streaked across parts of Russia, astounding many. The sound boom and resulting shockwave injured over 1,200 people, and blew out 100,000 square meters of windows during the most frigid time in a Russian winter.

Other facts that came to light after the shock wore off and scientists zoomed to the place where it landed. Sorting through data, Russia Today reports that

“nearly 3,000 buildings were damaged to varying extents by the meteor shower in the city, including 34 medical facilities and 361 schools and kindergartens. … Buildings were left without gas because facilities in the city had also been damaged, an Emergency Ministry spokesperson said, according to Russia 24 news channel. The Emergency Ministry reported that 20,000 rescue workers are operating in the region. Three aircraft were deployed to survey the area and locate other possible impact locations.”

The UK Telegraph reports on the aftermath of the Russia meteor,

“The 55-foot rock, said by Nasa to have a mass of 10,000 tonnes, plunged to Earth in the Urals region on Friday morning, causing shockwaves that injured 1,200 people and damaged thousands of homes in an event unprecedented in modern times. Nasa estimated that the energy released by the meteor’s impact with the atmosphere was 500 kilotonnes, around 30 times the force of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. It entered the atmosphere and broke up at an altitude of around 32 miles, causing a shockwave that blew out windows and set of car alarms in Chelyabinsk two and a half minutes later. Divers were this morning searching the Chelyabinsk region’s frozen Lake Chebarkul for a fragment of the meteorite. No fragments have been found in the region so far – despite some 20,000 rescuers and recovery workers being dispatched to help the hundreds of people injured. An army of glaziers were also being transported to Chelyabinsk to urgently repair the thousands of broken windows in homes as night time temperatures fall below -15C.”

This is a RT compilation of the sound wave blast. In looking at this you will understand why an “army of glaziers” is headed to the region.

Russia meteor sound blast:

But did you know that yesterday there were three other ‘signs in the sky’ as well? One other cosmic visitation was from the already-expected closest-ever flyby of an asteroid to earth. This also occurred yesterday. Asteroid 2012 DA14 skimmed by closer to our planet than any other known asteroid, ever. It flew low in Geo-synchronous orbit and could be seen with binoculars.

The Guardian reported,

“According to Don Yeomans of Nasa’s Near-Earth Object Observation Programme, an asteroid like 2012 DA14 flies this close on average only once every 40 years. This time around, however, the next one is due sooner than that. On 13 April 2029, Apophis will pass Earth closer than the ring of geostationary satellites. But, at an estimated distance of 19,400 miles, it will not break the record set tonight by 2012 DA14”.

It seems that there may also have been a meteor in Cuba as well. The UK Mirror calls it a “cosmic coincidence” (we know better don’t we?).

“The fireball – reportedly followed by a loud explosion some minutes later – was spotted above Cuba at 1am GMT yesterday. That’s 6,000 miles away from Chelyabinsk where a meteor left a 20ft crater and caused a devastating sonic boom at 3.20am GMT. China’s Xinhua news agency reported the bright spot in the sky was spotted in the Cienfuegos area, in central Cuba. One eyewitness said his house shook slightly in the blast and officials are scouring for any remnants of the object.”

Cuba meteor:

So, asteroid fly-by, meteor in Russia, one in Cuba, and … one reported in San Francisco.

Another Meteor Flashes Across Bay Area Skies

On the heels of a close fly-by of an asteroid 17,000 miles from Earth on Friday morning and a devastating meteor that landed in Russia, Bay Area stargazers caught a glimpse of another meteor Friday night. Social media users reported seeing the blue flash of the meteor flying west around 8 p.m. Friday night, and sightings were reported throughout the Bay Area, from Santa Clara to Fairfield, and even in the Central Valley cities of Fresno and Stockton. Jonathan Braidman, an astronomer with the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, said that it appears that the three astronomical events seen Friday are unrelated.”

They mean four astronomical events. They didn’t report on the Cuba meteor.

Here is a report on the San Francisco meteor

Peter preached that God will show signs of His coming. “And I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; (Acts 2:19)

Peter preached that at Pentecost about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord will be the time when God personally intervenes on earth to deal with sin and sinners through His wrath. That “Day” has not begun, but with signs like these meteors and asteroids all occurring on the same day, it certainly seems near.

Since time is short, how should you live? Peter told us in 2 Peter.

Peter tells us that when we believe the end will come, and knowing about this fact, it changes a Christian’s thinking and his actions. In 2 Peter 3, Peter begins by explaining about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the 7 year out-pouring of God’s wrath upon the world. You believe that whether we are on earth at that time is not important. Here are several things Peter warns us about that should give us pause.

In verse 3 Peter warns that scoffers and mockers will come. These are not people scoffing at the notion of Jesus nor about Christianity in general. They scoff specifically at end time things!

“knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3)

If it wasn’t important to know about end time things, then first, the doctrines would not be in the bible. But since they are, they are profitable. (2 Timothy 3:16). Second, if they were not important, satan would not spend so much time mocking and scoffing and diverting us away from them! These things are of high importance. Every book except Philemon mentions the end of days.

Peter then sums up with an important question:

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,” (2 Peter 3:11)

He’s saying that our behavior changes depending on what our attitude is about these end time things. As Gill’s Exposition says, “what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? not as the scoffers and profane sinners, who put away this evil day far from them, but as men, who have their loins girt, and their lights burning, waiting for their Lord’s coming; being continually in the exercise of grace, and in the discharge of their religious duties, watching, praying, hearing, reading; living soberly, righteously, and godly; guarding against intemperance and worldly mindedness, and every worldly and hurtful lust.”

Let us discharge our religious duties while we wait for our Blessed Hope!

Posted in end of days, end time, hole punch cloud, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy, signs in the sky

Signs in the sky: triple hole punch clouds in SC

Posted on by elizabethprata

Spaceweather “TRIPLE PUNCH HOLE CLOUDS: “I’ve lived by the sea for many years, but never seen anything like this,” reports Wesley Tyler of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “On Friday, Jan. 7th, there were three punch hole clouds in the same place.” He grabbed his camera and recorded the phenomenon:

In Oct. 2009, a really REALLY weird cloud appeared over Moscow, and the scientific response was that it was a hole punch cloud. At that time, I posted NASA’s explanation of what hole punch clouds are and how they form, leaving it up to the reader as to whether the Moscow cloud was indeed a hole punch or not. I’ll post the NASA explanation of hole punch clouds again, and again leave it up to you as to discerning the odds of the rare hole punch cloud appearing at all, never mind in triplicate…

NASA: “What could create a huge hole in the clouds? Such a hole, likely hundreds of meters across, was photographed last month from a driveway near Mobile, Alabama, USA. Very unusual to see, hole-punch clouds like this are still the topic of meteorological speculation. A leading hypothesis holds that the hole-punch cloud is caused by falling ice-crystals. The ice-crystals could originate in a higher cloud or be facilitated by a passing airplane exhaust. If the air has just the right temperature and moisture content, the falling crystals will absorb water from the air and grow. For this to happen, the water must be so cold that all it needs is a surface to freeze on. The moisture lost from the air increases the evaporation rate from the cloud water droplets so they dissipate to form the hole. The now heavier ice crystals continue to fall and form the more tenuous wispy cloud-like virga seen inside and just below the hole. Water and ice from the virga evaporates before they reach the ground.”

One of the end time signs are: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25)

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Posted in colombia meteor, end time, end time. prophecy, signs in the sky

Giant fireball crashes in Colombia, confirmed a meteorite

Posted on by elizabethprata
The Colombian newspaper posted an update. “Colombian meteorite sparks confusion“

“Colombian authorities confirmed that a “giant fire ball” that fell from the sky in the central Santander department was a meteorite. The Colombian media has been buzzing with eye witness accounts of the fireball, which fell out of the sky and caused a massive explosion at 3:15PM local time Sunday. Bucaramanga Mayor Fernando Vargas confirmed the phenomenon was a meteorite that left a crater 100 meters in diameter where it crashed into the earth in the San Joaquin municipality in Santander. Colombian air force helicopters were commissioned to fly over the vicinity to try to locate the source of the explosion. The director of the University of Nariño’s Astronomic Observatory, Alberto Quijano, told RCN Radio Sunday that he believed the object was a meteorite. In rural areas of Santander, police received reports that the explosion had shattered windows in the zone.” [note: link to the ‘Columbian authorities confirm’ article is in Spanish)

This is a link to today’s Colombian TV news in English (no guarantee how long the story stays up). “Today we report on a meteorite crashing in Columbia. Thousands saw it, no one has found it yet. The fireball was seen in the skies around three in the afternoon.” It continues with video.

These events are part of the birth pangs. The Lord said in Luke 21:25 that “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” This is a statement for the Tribulation but we see the beginnings of the signs tat will continue in frequency and intensity (like birth labor pangs) right through to the Tribulation when these signs will be such frequent occurrences that “men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26) That shaking up is starting now. It will intensify. After the rapture when the Tribulation begins it will be extremely intense! Are you ready to submit to the Lord for your salvation? He is Hope Eternal!