In reply to Horace Heffner's message of Thu, 17 Feb 2005 22:39:35 -0900: Hi, [snip] >That is true. A three body interaction close to Iapidus could produce a >lower energy collision. The third body might carry away much of the >momentum, as viewed from Iapidus' inertial frame, or the momentum and >energy of objects moving in opposed directions could be spent in a head-on >collision close to Iapidus, spraying it with debris. [snip] Another possibility is that part of two approaching bodies is composed of water ice, which as they collide converts to steam that expands, providing a cushioning buffer between them, slowing their approach, and carrying away some of the kinetic energy of the collision, such that when the rocky bodies collide, the impact is insufficient to melt, or shatter them.
Regards, Robin van Spaandonk All SPAM goes in the trash unread.
