----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2003 1:08
AM
Subject: New group name for Olivine
Diogenites
Hi Adam, Greg, and List.
I would like to propose my thoughts to several
names for this new meteorite group. Now that NWA 1877 has been determined to
be the 5th Olivine-Diogenite along with NWA 1459, ALHA-77252, EETA 79002,
and GRA 98108 we all have a chance to express our ideas of naming this
new group, which is very exciting. It is to my understanding that the HED
group comes from the same parent body most likely the asteroid Vesta.Well
how is this so known. It is known through the science of spectroscopy
discovered in 1859 by Gustav Robert Kirchhoff and Robert Wilhelm Bunsen.With
many thanks to Joeseph von Fraunhofer who observed in the early 1800's that
the continous spectrum was marred by over 700 dark lines now called
Fraunhofer lines. Lets not forget that the first person to use the technique
of spectroscopy to examine celestial objects was William Huggins in
1863, but lets go back to where this truely started and that was in
1666. By one of the most famous scientist of all time. It was Sir Isaac
Newton's discovery of the spectrum that all advancements of spectoscopy are
the underlying use of this important discovery.It is through
Spectroscopy that has helped determine the composition of this HED
group to the parent body Vesta, and other meteorite parent bodies such
as the asteroids Ceres, Pallas, Hebe, ect. Though these scientists
were not directly related to meteorites in general, they have
truely layed down the foundation for the study of meteorites today. If
not for spectroscopy we would not know where this HED group came from as
well as others in the first place. In fact if not for spectroscopy this
contest naming this new Olivine-Diogenite group might not well exist!! I
feel and it's only my opinion-that this group be named for one of these
great scientist's who should be honored for their great achievment in
helping today's scientist match parent bodies to many of the meteorite's in
our collections at home.So in closing and in order from my first choice to
last I propose to call this new group NEWTONITES, then, FRAUNHOFERNITES,
then KIRCHOFF-BUNSONITES, and last but not least with special thanks to
William Huggins for being the first using the spectroscope toward the
heavens. What an honor for him to have this group call
HUGGINITES.
Thanks all for your time.
Don Merchant
