Coast to Coast AM - Mar 07 2012 - Asteroids and Paranormal Tales

Host: George Noory
Guests: Daniel Durda, Lionel Fanthorpe

Hours 1 & 2 - Planetary scientist Daniel Durda talked about Near Earth asteroids, and the possibility of a mid-sized one, 2012 DA14, hitting us in 2013. The 150 ft. wide object (much smaller than Apophis) won't collide with Earth when it makes a close approach on Feb. 15th, 2013, he said, but its subsequent pass in 2020 could be of concern. We don't have enough information yet about what its orbit will look like at that time, he noted. A lot of recent asteroid & comet discoveries are being made by amateur astronomers, who ironically sometimes have better equipment and more time than the professionals, he commented.

Another asteroid of concern is 2011 AG5. About the size of a football stadium, it could cause a crater in the ground if it impacted Earth. It's going to make a near approach in February of 2023, and if it passes through in a certain way (a 1 in 625 chance), it could hit us on a return passage in 2040, he warned. Durda also talked about some of the unusual properties of Jupiter's moons, Europa and Io, as well as how we're living in the "glory age" of exoplanet discoveries, learning that our solar system is not unique, and we're not alone out there in the galaxy.

Hours 3 & 4 - Author and Anglican priest Lionel Fanthorpe shared tales and theories of the paranormal and the esoteric. Electromagnetic or radiation influence may affect the ability to see and hear psychic phenomena.

Additionally, there could be a thin interface between our realm and a parallel universe, something so close, that we can actually catch glimpses of what is going on there, and vice versa, he said. This might also explain some types of paranormal activity, he added. Studying the ancient field of numerology for a forthcoming book, he found that certain numbers seem to attract both positive and negative things.

Among the stories he recounted, were the Oak Island Mystery, involving a pirate treasure possibly buried in a pit in Nova Scotia, and the 1870 Croglin Grange Vampire case from Cumberland, England in which a scarecrow-like creature was traced back to a tomb, where a mummified corpse was found with fresh blood on its lips. He also spoke about a Ford Capri with the license plate of ARK666Y, thought by some to be haunted by the ghost of Aleister Crowley, and the story of Spring Heeled Jack, a startling 'jumping man' who terrorized Victorian Britain. A recent report from the UK has been likened to the Spring Heeled Jack incidents.