[meteorite-list] LEONID'S MORE HOPE FOR COLLECTORS

From: Gerald Flaherty <grf2_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:44:06 -0500
Message-ID: <00cf01c709e1$7d98dc90$6402a8c0_at_Dell>

In the early 1990's, taking the advice of a populist TV astromomer, I lined
an overturned plastic rubbush LID with white plastic, filled it with clean
water, and left it, balanced on some cinder blocks, on the lawn overnight at
the height of the Perseids.
Being relatively unsophisticated about meteorites at the time, I rushed
outdoors, small magnet in hand, with the enthusiasm of a "child on Christmas
morning" to greet the dawn after witnessing a rather brilliant meteor
display on the marshes adjecent to the house the previous night.
Low and behold, I was rewarded by the thrill of discovery!!
Quite obvious against the white plastic, under an inch or two of water black
specks jumped up into the arms of the magnetic field. One in particular,
measuring over a millimeter needed no hand lens to appreciate, although I
spent endless minutes studing thier coarse, textured surfaces, enthralled
that I had become so rich.
Soon after I was a victim of the NONAME [or should I say "Perfect"]
Halloween storm of Oct 1991.
Some of my most prize possessions, these tiny spects, were lost as was much
my material "wealth".
I think of them often, even now as I stare at my modest Lunar and Martian,
Chondrite, Pallasite and Irons.
For nearly three years I've been lucky enough to have discovered, joined and
learned much from this List. It's funny how this thread has brought back
that twinge of loss once experienced decades ago.
Jerry Flaherty
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob McCafferty" <rob_mccafferty at yahoo.com>
To: <Impactika at aol.com>; <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2006 5:50 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] LEONID'S MORE HOPE FOR COLLECTORS


> This is going to be one of my more thoughtful and
> intellectual contributions with a serious question
>
> --- Impactika at aol.com wrote:
>
>> Sorry to disappoint you but meteor shower do not
>> produce meteorites.
>> They are minute fragments and burn completely in the
>> atmosphere.
>>
>> Too bad the Media does not know that.
>>
>
>
> Hmm. While most people with a background including
> astrophysics know this - of which I like to include
> myself as one - I have often wondered about the old
> meteorite/meteor shower conundrum
>
> I am pretty sure there are no meteorites which
> correspond date-wise to meteor showers but is this
> actually the case?
>
> While the average comet detritus is dust, it is not
> impossible, surely, for a much larger chunk to get
> ejected from a comet? The current theories of
> explosive outgassing would surely allow a chunk that
> broke off to achieve escape velocity. Is it beyond the
> realms of possibility that one of these may sit in the
> orbit of a comet waiting its transition into the
> atmosphere?
> I will confess, I have not the mathematical skill
> (primarily) nor time (secondarily) to work out the
> orbital dynamics of a big-enough chunk that broke off.
> I suspect that a large chunk is more likely to follow
> the orbital path of the main body than the dust which
> can get disperesed by radiation pressure quite
> quickly, though theres the radiative effect during
> rotation which effects orbits too (I forget its name).
> Will that cause it to move out of the comet's orbital
> path?
>
> We know comets fragment. We have photographic evidence
> of it. We know the fragments spread out (ditto). Why
> can we not have meteorites from comets?
>
> Just because we haven't yet, doesn't mean it is
> impossible. Mass extinctions have not been observed
> dur to major impact events yet, either. We all know
> that doesn't mean it can't happen or hasn't happened
> in the past. I am not sure my scenario is any
> different.
>
> That probe which crashed into the comet recently
> (again, I forget the name..I have a full time job to
> hold down), did it determine the consistency of the
> surface?
>
> Are comets and their fragments too fragile to survive
> the transition to Earth from space? If they are, then
> isn't it time we stopped likening Murchison to a
> comet?
>
> NOT SCIENTIFIC BIT.
>
> Or is it that "we just don't know?" That phrase which
> is likely to cause me to create "the dead Scientists
> Society". A secret forum where top scientists can, in
> confidence, air their misgivings and failures in
> understanding which society will not let them admit.
>
> Funny, isn't it? As society dumbs down, it expects
> the egg-heads to know and solve more! Lazy bast**ds!
>
> Rob McC
>
>
>
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Received on Thu 16 Nov 2006 07:44:06 PM PST