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Re: (meteorobs) Collecting Micrometeorites?
Thanks. That's a good story and some interesting ideas. I like the wading pool and kite idea. I may try
them. I found a photo of a micrometeorite on the web a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure if that's what one
would find with the methods I recall and we write about. I suspect it is. I have a friend who is a science
teacher and he told me that he collected them from a creek. He'd just get a hand full of sand, and then
sort through the material with a microscope for small dark spheres. I did it one time using his
microscope, but it was tedious.
I recovered my memory after looking at a children's geology book that mentioned it and looking at the web.
The book just used a plastic pail and a magnet at the bottom. One was to carry the bucket low along the
ground to accumulate the particles. With prompting from the web site, I realized the key ingredient was
rain water. I composed the following for some friends:
================================
Did you miss the Leonid shower? Maybe not. You might have a chance to catch one of them in your
hand, well, OK, in a bucket anyway. Here's how.
Many meteorites are extremely small--grain of sand size. During a meteor shower, small meteorite
particles fall to the ground. They are called micrometeorites, and are often composed of iron and
nickel. This is a good time to collect them. It's best to do this during a rain storm, since a
rainfall helps settle the meteor dust to the ground.
Take a clean plastic bucket or jar outside, and place it on a table or high stand away from the
house. You don't want small iron particles falling off the roofing material or getting kicked up
from the ground into the bucket. Wait for awhile after you've gotten a good bit of water in the
bucket to see what you collected.
What should you expect? Small dark spherical particles. They may be close to invisible. Use a magnet
to pick them up from inside the bucket. Just put your magnet into the bucket and move it around near
the bottom of the bucket to collect them. Use a magnifiying glass too. You might consider pouring
the rain water into another ontainer that is covered with a filter (maybe a paper towel) and
examining what you find in the filter. Good luck!
================================
Robert Gardner wrote:
> Wayne;
> Several years ago I attended a lecture at CalTech on this very subject. I do not remember
> how the speaker was collecting them but it must have required sophisticated equipment or I would have
> remembered, but one of his graduate students did it in a manner that I do remember. She put a child's
> plastic wading pool on top of one of the tallest buildings filled with water. I don't think they
> described how she removed them from the pool, but I presume she used some system like the one used to
> suck water from the floor of an aquarium for cleaning and a filter. I know she was doing quite well
> with the experiment till an eager janitor thought it was trash and threw it away. 8-) I do think it
> is important to get it as far above the ground as possible because of dust near the ground. All of
> the micro photos he showed of them were small black spiracles. I thought about using a kite for this
> purpose but the collecting would be a problem. Net filter or fly paper concepts? It also would
> require steady winds which we don't have here down South. In fact we don't have any wind at all or it
> is blowing 80 miles an hour.
> I hope this is of some help to you. If you continue to pursue this project, keep the meteorobs
> informed. Good Luck Wayne.
> Clear skies and good
> seeing Robert Gardner
> Wayne Watson wrote:
>
> > As I recall, one can find small meteorite particles. I think this is how one goes about finding
> > them:
> >
> > During a meteor shower, small meteorite particles fall to the ground. They are called
> > micrometeorites, and are composed of iron and nickel. This is a good time to collect them. Sunday
> > might have been better. Take a clean plastic bucket outside and place it on a table or high stand
> > away from the house. You don't want small particles falling off the roof or getting kicked up from
> > the ground into the bucket. Wait for a day or two to see what you collect. What should you expect?
> > Small dark particles. They may be close to invisible Use a magnet to pick them up from inside the
> > bucket.
> >
> > Comments?
> >
> > --
> > Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet)
> >
> > This day and age we're living in,
> > Gives cause for apprehension.
> > With speed and new invention
> > And things like fourth dimension.
> > ...
> > You must remember this,
> > a kiss is still a kiss,
> > A sigh is just a sigh;
> > The fundamental things apply,
> > As time goes by.
> > -- A romantic physicist? Nope ...
> > Herman Hupfeld, from As Time Goes By
> >
> > Web Page: http://home.earthlinkdot net/~mtnviews
> > Imaginarium Museum: http://home.earthlinkdot net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html
> >
> > The archive and Web site for our list is at http://www.meteorobs.org
> > If you are interested in complete links on the upcoming LEONIDS, see:
> > http://www.meteorobs.org/storms.html
> > To stop getting email from the 'meteorobs' list, use the Web form at:
> > http://www.meteorobs.org/subscribe.html
>
> The archive and Web site for our list is at http://www.meteorobs.org
> If you are interested in complete links on the upcoming LEONIDS, see:
> http://www.meteorobs.org/storms.html
> To stop getting email from the 'meteorobs' list, use the Web form at:
> http://www.meteorobs.org/subscribe.html
--
Wayne T. Watson (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N, 2,701 feet)
This day and age we're living in,
Gives cause for apprehension.
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.
...
You must remember this,
a kiss is still a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh;
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by.
-- A romantic physicist? Nope ...
Herman Hupfeld, from As Time Goes By
Web Page: http://home.earthlinkdot net/~mtnviews
Imaginarium Museum: http://home.earthlinkdot net/~mtnviews/imaginarium.html
The archive and Web site for our list is at http://www.meteorobs.org
If you are interested in complete links on the upcoming LEONIDS, see:
http://www.meteorobs.org/storms.html
To stop getting email from the 'meteorobs' list, use the Web form at:
http://www.meteorobs.org/subscribe.html
References: