[meteorite-list] Tornadoes in Colorado
In case you are just now catching up with the news Yes they were tornadoes in Colorado this afternoon. Starting just after noon, a cluster of tornadoes, probably category 3, touched down about 50 miles north of Denver and went on north to Wyoming, following the front range of the Rockies.. A lot of damage to several small towns, and a lot of farms on the way. Only casualties: one man in a mobile home, and a bunch of cows when a dairy was completely flattened. For all the details and pictures, look at: _http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=92268_ (http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=92268) In the mountains, some snow above 9000 feet (3000 meters). In Denver, a lot of wind, a bit of rain. Nothing much really. Anne M. Black www.IMPACTIKA.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vice-President of IMCA www.IMCA.cc **Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch Cooking with Tyler Florence on AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?NCID=aolfod000302) __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Tornadoes in Colorado
yea, in the georgia area we have had 'em about every weekend since mid-feb: www.macon.com --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In case you are just now catching up with the news Yes they were tornadoes in Colorado this afternoon. Starting just after noon, a cluster of tornadoes, probably category 3, touched down about 50 miles north of Denver and went on north to Wyoming, following the front range of the Rockies.. A lot of damage to several small towns, and a lot of farms on the way. Only casualties: one man in a mobile home, and a bunch of cows when a dairy was completely flattened. For all the details and pictures, look at: _http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=92268_ (http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=92268) In the mountains, some snow above 9000 feet (3000 meters). In Denver, a lot of wind, a bit of rain. Nothing much really. Anne M. Black www.IMPACTIKA.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vice-President of IMCA www.IMCA.cc **Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch Cooking with Tyler Florence on AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?NCID=aolfod000302) __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Tornadoes in Colorado
I'm glad to hear you are okay Anne. We don't want you or your space rocks to take an unscheduled flight! Anita -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of mckinney trammell Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 8:13 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Tornadoes in Colorado yea, in the georgia area we have had 'em about every weekend since mid-feb: www.macon.com --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In case you are just now catching up with the news Yes they were tornadoes in Colorado this afternoon. Starting just after noon, a cluster of tornadoes, probably category 3, touched down about 50 miles north of Denver and went on north to Wyoming, following the front range of the Rockies.. A lot of damage to several small towns, and a lot of farms on the way. Only casualties: one man in a mobile home, and a bunch of cows when a dairy was completely flattened. For all the details and pictures, look at: _http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=92268_ (http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=92268) In the mountains, some snow above 9000 feet (3000 meters). In Denver, a lot of wind, a bit of rain. Nothing much really. Anne M. Black www.IMPACTIKA.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vice-President of IMCA www.IMCA.cc **Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch Cooking with Tyler Florence on AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?NCID=aolfod000302) __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] If you believed they'll put your name on the moon, name on the moon
http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/ __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] If you believed they'll put your name on the moon, name on the moon
I signed up for that a few weeks ago. The kicker is that I also signed up a crazy friend of mine that still refuses to believe we've been to the moon and sent her the certificate. :-) - Original Message - From: Darren Garrison [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 11:10 AM Subject: [meteorite-list] If you believed they'll put your name on the moon,name on the moon http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/ __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: May 19-23, 2008
MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES May 19-23, 2008 o Jovis Tholus (Released 19 May 2008) http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080519a o Marte Valles (Released 20 May 2008) http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080520a o Channels (Released 21 May 2008) http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080521a o Hebrus Valles (Released 22 May 2008) http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080522a o Hebrus Valles (Released 23 May 2008) http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080523a All of the THEMIS images are archived here: http://themis.asu.edu/latest.html NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in co.oration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Observed lunar meteorite impacts hit 100
There is a large distinction between the classical comets and the classical asteroids. Comet Hale-Bopp or Huykatake could never be confused for an asteroid. On the other hand there are comets that are almost spent out such as P/Arend-Regeaux which at often times appears stellar like through even the largest telescopes. Then there is P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 which travels in a near circular orbit and is quite faint and stellar appearing until it goes into an out burst approximately once per month. I have monitored this comet for years and it can brighten very rapidly several hundred fold and produce a coma. It may or may not be tied into the rotation due to the out bursts are not predictable and can vary by 20 to 60 days. For those of you who have been confused by all the classifications of comets and asteroids, here is a very simple, and I stress simple classification. It does not get into groups or families. I'm sure there are many mistakes and I take full responsibilty for the content. Near Earth Objects Objects that approach the earths orbit. Atens NEOs with average orbital radii smaller than earths Apollos NEOs with average orbital radii greater than earth but cross earths orbit Amors NEOs with orbital radii between Mars and Earths and perihelia just outside Earths orbit. Main belt Asteroids in roughly circular orbits between Mars and Jupiter, most have inclinations less than 30 degrees and eccentricities less than 0.4 C-type Carbonaceous asteroids with spectra similar to carbonaceous chondrites and comprising 75% of known Main Belt asteroids, found in the outer reaches of the asteroid belt. S-type Silicate rich asteroids with some metal but no carbon. Comprise about 17% of visible asteroids. M-type Metal rich asteroids comprising about 10% of known asteroids. Possibly remnant core of differentiated body composed of nickel-iron. One problem is that some silicate compounds can mimic metal spectra. It is not yet clear whether all M-types are compositionally similar, or whether it is a label for several varieties which do not fit neatly into the main C and S classes. V-type Basaltic type asteroids, very rare but evidently more than one with different histories exist for this type. Vesta is the namesake of this type. Trojan asteroids Asteroids in roughly same orbit as a planet and found approximately 60 degrees ahead or behind the planet. Mars Trojans - has only two. Trojans - Jupiter has several hundred to several thousand, first ones to be discovered. Neptune Trojans - is the only other gas giant to date with known Trojan asteroids. Spectra suggests that they are composed of water ice with a layer of dust and probably more akin to comets. Centaurs Objects with orbits between the gas giants Jupiter and Neptune. Three of them have exhibited cometary behavior. Damocloids Halley type objects some have retrograde orbits, all have high eccentricity orbits, a few have since been shone to be comets. Trans-Neptunian Objects Kuiper belt objects extend from Neptunes orbit to 55 AU from the Sun. All are icy bodies composed primarily of ammonia, methane and water Cubewanos objects with roughly circular orbits and low inclination and not in resonance with Neptune. Plutinos objects with eccentric orbits, often crossing Neptunes orbit and inclinations of 10 to 25 degrees. Also in a 2 to 3 resonating orbit with Neptune. Pluto crosses Neptunes orbit but due to inclination and resonation it cannot collide with the planet. Scattered Disc Objects Poorly understood objects beyond Neptune in highly eccentric and highly inclined orbits that computer simulations revealed their orbits to be unstable. Ort Cloud Vast region of space roughly 1000 times further than Kuiper Belt. Inner Ort Cloud Also known as the Hills cloud, roughly 2000 to 20,000 AU and doughnut shaped. Probably the main source of comets. Outer Ort Cloud Spherical shaped region with inner edge about 20,000 AU extending out to 50,000 and possibly 100,000 AU or more than one light year. No known Ort Cloud Objects have been discovered beyond the Kuiper Belt. The only known Ort Cloud Objects are the long period comets that visit the inner solar system. All have high eccentricities and can even be in retrograde orbits. There are some comets that are confined to the asteroid belt. There have even been cases when a known asteroid has turned into a comet. And we have one case where a known asteroid shares an orbit with a known meteor shower and is indeed postulated to be a dead comet. A few comets are in fact beginning to slowly turn off (less and less outgassing on each trip around sun). Basically it boils down to all asteroids are in prograde orbits and are rocky type objects. Comets on the other hand can be prograde or retrograde, and in all sorts of orbits. They are composed of ice and dust intermixed with rock. Compositions both in asteroids
[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Finds Yellowstone-like Hot Spring Deposits
Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Contact: Robert Burnham, 480-458-8207 May 22, 2008 Mars rover finds Yellowstone-like hot spring deposits Deposits of nearly pure silica discovered by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in Gusev Crater formed when volcanic steam or hot water (or maybe both) percolated through the ground. Such deposits are found around hydrothermal vents like those in Yellowstone National Park. That's the conclusion of planetary scientists working with data collected by the rover's mineral-scouting instrument, which was developed at Arizona State University. The silica discovery, announced briefly by NASA in 2007, is fully described in a multi-author paper that appears in the May 23, 2008 issue of the scientific journal Science. The lead author is Steven Squyres of Cornell University, principal investigator for the rover science payload. The silica finding turns a spotlight on an important site that may contain preserved traces of ancient Martian life. On Earth, hydrothermal deposits teem with life and the associated silica deposits typically contain fossil remains of microbes, says Jack Farmer, professor of astrobiology in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Farmer is one of the paper's co-authors. But we don't know if that's the case here, Farmer notes, because the rovers don't carry instruments that can detect microscopic life. He adds, What we can say is that this was once a habitable environment where liquid water and the energy needed for life were present. NASA landed the two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, on opposite sides of the planet in January 2004 to look for rocks showing the presence of water. As of now, the rovers are more than four Earth years into a mission designed to last just three months. Despite dust collecting on their solar panels and mechanical wear-and-tear, both are continuing to explore. Dawning realization The silica discovery unfolded in slow motion as Spirit emerged from hibernation after its second Martian winter. The rover spent those months on the edge of a football-field-size feature dubbed Home Plate. Home Plate lies in the Columbia Hills, a range of low hills in the middle of Gusev Crater, which spans 100 miles (170 kilometers) wide. The Hills rise about 300 feet (100 meters) above the flat lava plain that fills Gusev, but their structure and origin remain unclear to scientists. We were going back to an area of exposed soil called the Tyrone site, which we didn't have time to investigate before winter began, notes Steven Ruff, a faculty research associate at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility. Ruff is another of the paper's co-authors. The Tyrone soil proved rich in sulfate minerals, a phenomenon seen by Spirit at other locations in the Columbia Hills, where Spirit has been exploring since late 2004. While sulfates can form in several ways, water is involved in most. While parked next to Tyrone, we used the Mini-TES to look at some nearby light-toned and knobby outcrops, says Ruff. Mini-TES is short for the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, an instrument placed on each rover to identify minerals by their infrared spectrum. Ruff is the scientist in charge of day-to-day operations for Mini-TES, which was designed by ASU's Philip Christensen, a Regents' Professor of Geological Sciences and director of the Mars Space Flight Facility. Silica surprise Ruff continues, It wasn't clear what we were seeing in the knobby outcrops because they were contaminated with dust and wind-blown soil. But I thought they might be silica-rich. Additional surveys with Mini-TES identified other outcrops, similarly contaminated but likewise hinting at silica. As it happened, the rover's jammed right front wheel inadvertently produced the Aha! moment. Ruff and others on the science team noticed that the stuck wheel had gouged a trench a few inches deep through the soil as the rover drove ahead in reverse, dragging the crippled wheel behind. The trench looked bright white, Ruff recalls, but we thought initially it was just more sulfate minerals. Over the winter, however, Ruff got curious. We aimed Mini-TES at the trench and it showed a clear silica spectrum. This prompted us to drive back to it, where the rover's Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer told us the white soil was more than 90 percent silica. That's a record high for silica on Mars. Fumaroles and hot springs Making such pure silica requires a lot of water, says Ruff. On Earth, the only way to have this kind of silica enrichment is by hot water reacting with rocks. This, Ruff says, links the silica with Home Plate, which the rover team already knew was a volcanic feature. Home Plate came from an explosive volcanic event with water or ice being involved, he explains. We saw where rocks were thrown into the air and landed to make small indentations in the soft, wet ash sediment around the vent. Once alerted what to look for,
Re: [meteorite-list] Observed lunar meteorite impacts hit 100
Hello Jerry: Good summary! There are actually other compositional (spectral) classes of asteroids, but you hit on the main ones. While most C-asteroids are wet, some appear to be dry (at least on their surfaces). Also, there are wet M-asteroids, which are clearly NOT metallic, but it is not yet clear what they really are. And yes, a dead comet may look spectrally like an asteroid! Larry On Fri, May 23, 2008 1:44 pm, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --===0089808818== There is a large distinction between the classical comets and the classical asteroids. Comet Hale-Bopp or Huykatake could never be confused for an asteroid. On the other hand there are comets that are almost spent out such as P/Arend-Regeaux which at often times appears stellar like through even the largest telescopes. Then there is P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 which travels in a near circular orbit and is quite faint and stellar appearing until it goes into an out burst approximately once per month. I have monitored this comet for years and it can brighten very rapidly several hundred fold and produce a coma. It may or may not be tied into the rotation due to the out bursts are not predictable and can vary by 20 to 60 days. For those of you who have been confused by all the classifications of comets and asteroids, here is a very simple, and I stress simple classification. It does not get into groups or families. I'm sure there are many mistakes and I take full responsibilty for the content. Near Earth Objects Objects that approach the earths orbit. Atens NEOs with average orbital radii smaller than earths Apollos NEOs with average orbital radii greater than earth but cross earths orbit Amors NEOs with orbital radii between Mars and Earths and perihelia just outside Earths orbit. Main belt Asteroids in roughly circular orbits between Mars and Jupiter, most have inclinations less than 30 degrees and eccentricities less than 0.4 C-type Carbonaceous asteroids with spectra similar to carbonaceous chondrites and comprising 75% of known Main Belt asteroids, found in the outer reaches of the asteroid belt. S-type Silicate rich asteroids with some metal but no carbon. Comprise about 17% of visible asteroids. M-type Metal rich asteroids comprising about 10% of known asteroids. Possibly remnant core of differentiated body composed of nickel-iron. One problem is that some silicate compounds can mimic metal spectra. It is not yet clear whether all M-types are compositionally similar, or whether it is a label for several varieties which do not fit neatly into the main C and S classes. V-type Basaltic type asteroids, very rare but evidently more than one with different histories exist for this type. Vesta is the namesake of this type. Trojan asteroids Asteroids in roughly same orbit as a planet and found approximately 60 degrees ahead or behind the planet. Mars Trojans - has only two. Trojans - Jupiter has several hundred to several thousand, first ones to be discovered. Neptune Trojans - is the only other gas giant to date with known Trojan asteroids. Spectra suggests that they are composed of water ice with a layer of dust and probably more akin to comets. Centaurs Objects with orbits between the gas giants Jupiter and Neptune. Three of them have exhibited cometary behavior. Damocloids Halley type objects some have retrograde orbits, all have high eccentricity orbits, a few have since been shone to be comets. Trans-Neptunian Objects Kuiper belt objects extend from Neptunes orbit to 55 AU from the Sun. All are icy bodies composed primarily of ammonia, methane and water Cubewanos objects with roughly circular orbits and low inclination and not in resonance with Neptune. Plutinos objects with eccentric orbits, often crossing Neptunes orbit and inclinations of 10 to 25 degrees. Also in a 2 to 3 resonating orbit with Neptune. Pluto crosses Neptunes orbit but due to inclination and resonation it cannot collide with the planet. Scattered Disc Objects Poorly understood objects beyond Neptune in highly eccentric and highly inclined orbits that computer simulations revealed their orbits to be unstable. Ort Cloud Vast region of space roughly 1000 times further than Kuiper Belt. Inner Ort Cloud Also known as the Hills cloud, roughly 2000 to 20,000 AU and doughnut shaped. Probably the main source of comets. Outer Ort Cloud Spherical shaped region with inner edge about 20,000 AU extending out to 50,000 and possibly 100,000 AU or more than one light year. No known Ort Cloud Objects have been discovered beyond the Kuiper Belt. The only known Ort Cloud Objects are the long period comets that visit the inner solar system. All have high eccentricities and can even be in retrograde orbits. There are some comets that are confined to the asteroid belt. There have even been cases when a known asteroid has turned into a comet. And we have one
[meteorite-list] Secrets of Mars' Suitability for Life May Be Down in the Dirt (Phoenix)
For Immediate Release Contact: Dr. John Marshall 1-650-810-0216 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dr. Richard Quinn [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1-415-577-0749 At SETI Institute: Dr. Seth Shostak 1-650-960-4530 [EMAIL PROTECTED] SECRETS OF MARS' SUITABILITY FOR LIFE MAY BE DOWN IN THE DIRT Shortly after NASA's Phoenix lander settles onto Mars' frigid, northern plains on May 25, it will undertake what is literally a microscopic examination of the red sand beneath its feet. By doing so, it may find evidence that liquid water - generally agreed to be a prerequisite of life - once pooled here. Examination of the Martian soil is part of the task of a sophisticated on-board instrument package known as MECA, for Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA). Two microscopes are part of this package, and it is their close-up views that might supply conclusive evidence for a watery past. According to John Marshall, a planetary geologist with the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, this very detailed examination of the sand grains could supply a vital clue as to whether Mars was ever conducive to life - or if microscopic life might still have a foothold there. Imaging is a big part of the Phoenix mission. On the main deck of the lander is a stereo camera that will provide landscape views. The camera on the robotic arm can see sand and pebbles. But the MECA has both a low-power optical microscope for scrutinizing a field-of-view only millimeters in size, and an atomic force microscope able to make a topographic map of soil particles with detail a thousand times finer than its optical counterpart. The atomic force microscope works by means of a tiny stylus that feels its way over the sample. Marshall's job is to interpret close-ups from the optical microscope from a geologic perspective. The size of the soil particles, as well as their shape and surface texture, are all indicators of whether or not liquid water was present. If you see little clay particles, Marshall notes, you say ah, hah! There's been aqueous weathering here - chemical alteration of the grains. It would be just like the clay you find in your back yard. While that would be exciting, it's also possible that the soil particles have simply been processed by the stirring up of ground ice over thousands and millions of years. That would be interesting, but not revolutionary, says Marshall. Richard Quinn, also at the SETI Institute's Carl Sagan Center, is using MECA instruments to do a different kind of soil analysis: using the type of wet chemistry you may remember from high school. Within the MECA package are four box-like receptacles, or reaction chambers, each the size of a demitasse cup. Their inside walls are covered, polka-dot like, with 24 sensors. As Phoenix's robotic arm pulls soil off the landscape, it deposits some samples into these water-filled chambers.. Adding these soil samples to water allows us to look for is soluble salts, says Quinn. Finding these would help establish what the prior water history was at the landing site, and might give an indication if this area of Mars was habitable. In his lab at NASA's Ames Research Center, Quinn has set up equipment that duplicates the reaction chambers aboard Phoenix. He's also collected samples of Mars analog soil samples from places on Earth where conditions mimic those on the Red Planet. On the basis of data coming back from Phoenix, Quinn's assistants at Ames will choose a soil sample and see if they can duplicate the results coming from tens of millions of miles away. It's a way of doing analysis by remote control. If MECA finds a sample with a significant salt content, and if that same sample - when run through Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer instrument - also turns out to contain organics - Well, that would be the best I could hope for. says Quinn. Marshall is philosophical about doing laboratory science from a distance to learn if Mars was ever a kinder, gentler world. In a hundred years, our view of the Red Planet has gone from a small, ruddy dot imperfectly seen in an Earth-bound telescope to a detailed scrutiny of the tiniest irregularities on a grain of martian sand, he notes. It's more than remarkable. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Rocks from Space picture of the Day - May 23, 2008
http://www.rocksfromspace.org/May_23_2008.html Michael Johnson http://www.spacerocksinc.com __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
