(meteorobs) Long path meteor -spiraling- *Magnified*

[Chris Peterson]

I don't think anybody is suggesting that they don't tumble (that is, 
rotate around more than one axis). They can do this in space, and they 
can do it in the atmosphere.

Spiraling is very different- that suggests a helical trajectory. I don't 
think this happens, unless it is on a very tiny scale (for example, the 
helix diameter is on the order of the size of the meteoroid).

I don't think you can conclude much of anything about the shape of a 
meteoroid during most of its flight from the shapes of recovered meteorites.

Chris

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

On 12/5/2011 2:32 PM, Jim Wooddell wrote:
> Hi all!
>
> There seems to be three basic shapes to meteorites that suggest what their
> flight characteristics were within our atmosphere prior to them smacking the
> ground.
> 1.  Spherical - where random tumbling occurred.
> 2.  Cone - where the rotation axis was along the direction of motion.
> 3.  Shield - where the flight was stable, no tumbling, no rotation.
>
> I have recovered meteorites of all three shapes and without counting I would
> say my finds indicate mostly meteorites that were shields, then spherical,
> then cone, in order of quantity recovered.
>
> Based on this, I do think it is reasonable to think that meteoroids can and
> do tumble.  Is there some reference somewhere that suggests they don't?
>
>
> Happy Holidays!
>
> Jim
>