It is often said that the total mass of all the asteroids is less than that of our Moon. And Ceres and Vesta are what...perhaps half of it? There are three main classes of asteroids, C, S, M. C (Carbonaceous) are the most common and predate the Earth...4.6 billion years old. S (Silicate) are similarly ages but reflect more. Finally M (Metal) are the metallic ones that you mention and are about the proportion of meteorite falls ---low in the single digits. So there ain't much out there, that could have been a differentiated planet as your daughter envisioned. And regarding the meteorites, I'm sure the more experts on the list will do better...but of course there are plently of meteorites believed known from the same bodies - like (4) Vesta. Scientists believe that Ceres and Vesta differentiated on their own...and contrary to your theory...should have formed a planet, but never did because Jupiter didn't let them settle together. Check out the Dawn mission design.
Saludos
Doug Dawn
Mexico
En un mensaje con fecha 12/11/2003 10:52:01 PM Mexico Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] escribe:
Hello List,
My daughter and I were discussing iron meteorites, and she came up with
a question that I couldn't answer, and I was hoping one of you could.
Some people think that there was a large planet between Jupiter and
Saturn and it was destroyed by a cataclysmic catastrophe of biblical
proportions which resulted in the asteroid belt where most of our meteorites
are believed to come from. Does this sound right so far?
Iron meteorites are believed to be from the core of a planet such as the
one that was destroyed by the cataclysmic catastrophe.
Is it thought that some of our iron meteorites come from the asteroid
belt? If so, it would seem like different iron falls would match beings
they came from the same iron core?
Has any two irons from separate falls been matched? It would seem like
more than one iron meteoroid would have came from the asteroid belt and end
up an iron meteorite. Am I missing something?
Thanks, Tom
