Reason for the Red Rain

Distribution pattern of red rain

The geographical distribution  of the red rain cases shows a clustering of cases in Kottayam and neighboring districts like Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Idukki and Alappuzha with abrupt decrease towards the south and gradual decrease towards the north. The maximum numbers of cases were reported from in and around Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts. The elliptical region marked in the map indicates the region in which red rain cases were mainly distributed.

The atmospheric fragmentation of the fragile cometary meteor can be the reason for the geographical distribution of the red rain cases in an elliptical area of size 450 km by 150 km. Maximum cases of red rain occurred in Kottayam and nearby districts. From this, it can be inferred that while falling to the ground at low angle, the meteor has been travelling from north to south in a south-east direction above Kerala with a final airburst above Kottayam district. During its travel in the atmosphere it must have released several small fragments, which caused the deposition of cell clusters in the atmosphere from north to south above Kerala.

  Colored rain incidences in Kerala on different dates shows that about 70% of the cases occurred during the first 5 days, 15% cases occurred in the next 5 days and the remaining 15%  cases occurred in next 50 days in a diminishing rate.

   This delayed time distribution for the first few days can be accounted as due to the slow settling of the microscopic red rain particles in the atmosphere, with a settling rate of a few hundred meters per day. For this the meteor disintegration is expected to provide a vertical distribution of particles spanning over a few kilometres above the rain clouds.

 The red particles

Microscopic examination showed that the particles which cause red colour to the rain are biological in nature. It looks like a spore of a microrganism.  Fine structure and enclosing cellular membranes in the red rain particles as evidenced by SEM & TEM is indicative of biological-like cells. The CELLS DOES NOT HAVE ANY FLAGELLA.

Elemental analysis indicates that the cells contains carbon, oxygen, silica fe, Al and Cl. CHN nalysis shows minor % of nitrogen and 4 % Hydrogen. While these particles have striking morphological similarity with biological cells, the test for DNA gives a negative result (requires more extensive study to say cells without DNA). ( Collaborative studies going on. So far the test for DNA is negative.) This points to a possibility of an organism with alternate genetic molecule.

 Definite

One thing was definite: The particles which caused the red colour to the rain was neither a dust, nor a gas or a Trentepohlia. (reason for not Trentepohlia)

The cells which caused the red colouration of the red rain, are not possibly of terrestrial origin yet several thousand kilograms of these cells came down through the red rain, which is an indication  that these cells are possibly extraterrestrial

Whether the comet contains these type of red cells is a challenging question. Even then, this argument supports earlier hypothesis of Cometary Panspermia

Some FACTS

• • The red rain started in the State during a period of normal rain.

  • Several cases of red rain phenomenon have occurred on rainy days after and during normal rains.

  •  The vessels kept in open space also collected red rain.

  • In few places the concentration of particles were so great that the rainwater appeared almost like blood.

  • Highly localized appearance. It usually occurs over an area of less than a square kilometer to a few square kilometers. Many times it had a sharp boundary, which means while it was raining strongly red at a place a few meters away there were no red rain.

  • The time duration of a typical red rain was not long; usually it lasted for a few minutes to less than about 20 minute