A Witness Strikeout.

Greetings. In UFO circles, the belief that witnesses are always reliable is forceful, with laypeople and researchers alike. Terms like "trained observer" and "credible witness" are thrown around like baseballs on opening day, but reality is something quite different altogether. A recent event places witness testimonials, and their overall reliability, on full display. 

A few days ago, on June 26th, over the southeastern United States, a meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere and detonated before making landfall. A small piece is alleged to have impacted into a residential house located in Henry County, Georgia, but a firm determination has yet to be made by qualified individuals. The incoming meteor detonated over the Atlanta metropolitan area at an altitude of approximately 32.6 kilometers, a safe distance to be sure. 

A daylight meteor sighting is not an overly commonplace occurrence, but despite their overall rarity, such events are relatively consistent. To place the scenario in a proper perspective, according to NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, scientists estimate that about 48.5 tons, or 44,000 kilograms of meteoritic material falls on Earth each and every day. A high percentage of the material is vaporized in Earth's atmosphere, leaving a bright trail colloquially called "shooting stars." Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on any given night, but as stated prior, daylight sightings are far less common from a numerical standpoint. 

Back to the event of June 26th, the American Meteor Society stated that it received more than 160 reports of a fireball sighting from observers in Georgia and South Carolina at approximately 12:25pm local time. The meteor was first seen at an altitude of about 77 kilometers above the town of Oxford, Georgia, moving southwest at 48,280 kilometers per hour, according to NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. Hundreds of additional calls were made to local authorities in Georgia and South Carolina, with most people reporting a fireball or an incoming meteor. Most being the operative word.

Some people who took the time to call the authorities stated that they witnessed an aircraft coming to earth. Yes, an aircraft. There is nothing about an incoming meteor that would reasonably suggest "aircraft;" no course changes, no navigation lights, no discernable structure, nothing. Such a misidentification places the observational skills of those particular callers firmly in doubt. Logically, that means that some witnesses are not reliable. 

Sorry UFO people. 

Additionally, it should be noted that many people, from different geographical locations, had the presence of mind to take videos and photographs of the incoming meteor, despite the fact that the fleeting event took place without warning, and certainly qualifies as an out of the ordinary occurrence. Makes one wonder why alleged UFO witnesses cannot seem to do the very same thing; capture an abrupt, extraordinary event. 

I wonder why. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.