(meteorobs) Meteorite pix

Chris Peterson clp at alumni.caltech.edu
Thu Dec 4 13:08:55 EST 2008


The only difference between cosmic rays in the Solar System and outside it 
is that locally you have a slightly higher rate of relatively low energy 
particles from the Sun. The planets have no effect at all. By most 
standards, almost no meteorites would be considered "radioactive", although 
most natural materials, meteorites included, have some low background 
activity. Most radioactive isotopes present when the objects formed have 
long since decayed to very low levels, and regardless of location, the rate 
of cosmic ray impacts and occasional conversion of material to radioactive 
species is far too low to result in significant radioactivity in bulk.

Chris

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


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "stange" <stange34 at sbcglobal.net>
To: <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2008 10:52 AM
Subject: (meteorobs) Meteorite pix


> Is it thought that meteroids entering the solar system from a travel 
> through
> the galaxy would not be radioactive from encountering primarily higher
> energy cosmic rays, but those meteoroids formed (within) the solar system
> and coming from orbits within the asteroid belt would be radioactive from
> isotope formation due to planetary magnetic focussing of lower energy 
> cosmic
> rays?
>
> Is my understanding correct that rates and velocities of cosmic radiation
> that cause isotope formation, would be dramatically different in these two
> situations?




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