[meteorite-list] fall patterns

From: Chris Peterson <clp_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 23:34:20 -0600
Message-ID: <004101c77b31$e9c84a60$2721500a_at_bellatrix>

Hi Pat-

You can't reliably determine anything about the path of an unwitnessed
meteor by analyzing a strewn field. That's because the effect of winds
can completely erase the effects of the trajectory. As a simple example,
you can't distinguish between a meteor that came in at a vertical angle
with strong easterly winds, and one that came at a shallower angle from
the west with no wind, or with a headwind. It is perfectly possible for
a strewn field to be oriented with the largest meteorites up-path from
the smallest- all it takes is a single terminal explosion (as opposed to
a long breakup) and a strong tailwind.

Analyzing a strewn field is useful for estimating where else to look for
meteorites, but that's about it.

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "Pat Brown" <radio_ranch at yahoo.com>
To: "Robin Galyan" <robin_707a at ifiles.com>;
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 10:15 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] fall patterns


> Hi Robin,
>
> The heavier parts of a body after breakup will fly
> further. The lighter parts will slow down faster and
> not travel as fardown range. The reason for this is
> that the smaller parts have more aerodynamic drag per
> unit of mass and slow down quicker. The heaier parts
> have less drag per unit mass and will not slow down as
> quickly.
>
> In a strewn field that is carefully mapped with the
> location and mass of each fragment, it is east to see
> which direction a meteoroid approached from. A line
> drawn from the lightest fragment to the heaviest
> fragmet will show the direction of travel. This is one
> of the reasons that keeping good records is important.
>
> Best Regards,
> Pat Brown
/meteorite-list
Received on Tue 10 Apr 2007 01:34:20 AM PDT