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(meteorobs) Excerpts from "CCNet 3/2002 - 3 January 2002"
------- Forwarded Message
From: Peiser Benny <B.J.Peiser@livjm.acdot uk>
To: cambridge-conference <cambridge-conference@livjm.acdot uk>
Subject: CCNet 3/2002 - 3 January 2002
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 13:59:58 -0000
CCNet 3/2002 - 3 January 2002
-----------------------------
(1) MYSTERY METEORS FROM AN EXTINCT CONSTELLATION
Space Weather News for January 2, 2001
[...]
(5) PLANETARY SCIENCES BEST STUDENT PAPER AWARD
Ron Baalke <baalke@zagami.jpl.nasadot gov>
(6) TWO PUZZLING SUPERBOLIDES
M.C.L.Rocca-Mendoza
[...]
(9) RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AT YONSEI UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY
Duncan Steel <D.I.Steel@salford.acdot uk>
[...]
=============
(1) MYSTERY METEORS FROM AN EXTINCT CONSTELLATION
>From Space Weather News for January 2, 2001
http://www.spaceweather.com
MYSTERY METEORS: Earth is about to enter a stream of dusty space debris
that gives rise each year to the Quadrantid meteor shower. In 2002 the
Quadrantids will peak during a few-hour period around 1800 UT (10 a.m.
PST) on Thursday, January 3rd. The shower peaks during daylight hours
over the Americas. Pre-dawn observers in Japan and other Asian countries
around the Pacific Rim will have the best view of the outburst. Early-
evening sky watchers in Europe might see it, too. This year's display
will be diminished by glare from the Moon. Nevertheless, well-placed
spotters will likely count a dozen or so bright meteors each hour during
the shower's maximum.
The Quadrantids are named after Quadrans Muralis, a 19th century
constellation no longer found in star atlases. The shower's radiant is
in the modern constellation Bootes. Like the extinct constellation
Quadrans Muralis, the cometary parent of the Quadrantid shower might
also be long-dead. Astronomers have searched for a comet that shares the
orbit of the Quadrantid debris stream, but found nothing. Perhaps it
completely disintegrated long ago or remains undiscovered.
NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID: A newly discovered near-Earth asteroid named 2001
YB5 will glide by our planet on January 7th, twice as far from Earth as
the Moon. The 300-meter wide space rock will brighten to 12th magnitude
this weekend, making it a promising target for backyard telescopes
equipped with CCD cameras.
Visit spaceweather.com for more information.
=============
(5) PLANETARY SCIENCES BEST STUDENT PAPER AWARD
>From Ron Baalke <baalke@zagami.jpl.nasadot gov>
Introduction: The Meteoritical Society and the Planetary Division of the
Geological Society of America jointly sponsor the "Planetary Sciences
Best Student Paper Award". The award is for undergraduate and graduate
students who are first author of a planetary science paper published in
a peer-reviewed scientific journal during the calendar year. The prize
includes recognition by both Societies, a plaque, and a cash award of
$500.
Topics: Paper topics included under this award include the disciplines
of the Planetary Sciences in the broadest sense. These topics include,
but are not limited to, asteroids, comets, craters, interplanetary dust,
interstellar medium, lunar samples, meteors, meteorites, natural
satellites, planets, planetary atmospheres, tektites, origin and history
of the solar system.
Eligibility: This award is limited to undergraduate and graduate
students who are the first author of a paper published in a
peer-reviewed scientific journal during a specific calendar year. The
first author must have been a registered student at a degree awarding
institution at the time the paper was submitted to the journal. Papers
published during the year 2001 are now under consideration for the award.
Nomination: Papers will need to be nominated in order to be considered.
Full members of the Geological Society of America, full members of the
Meteoritical Society, or full members of any of their associated
societies may make nominations. Electronic nominations via e-mail with
attached pdf files are encouraged. Nominations should include the
following:
(1) The name of the student.
(2) The full citation of the paper (Including a copy of the paper or the
paper pdf file would be helpful, but not required).
(3) The name and address of the University the student was attending at
the time of paper submittal
(4) A brief description of why this paper is among the best.
Nominations may be sent to either the Chair of the Student Paper
Selection Committee, the Secretary of the Meteoritical Society, or the
Secretary of the Planetary Division of GSA at the addresses listed
below, by January 30, 2002. Either hardcopy or electronic nominations
are acceptable. For questions, please contact Dr. Dan Britt.
Dr. Dan Britt, Chair, Student Paper Selection Committee, Department of
Geological Sciences, The University of Tennessee, 306 Geological
Sciences Building, Knoxville, TN 37996; phone: 1-865-974-6008,
dbritt@utkdot edu
Dr. Edward R.D. Scott, Secretary of the Meteoritical Society, Hawaii
Inst. Geophysics & Planetary, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
96822, USA, escott@kahana.pgd.hawaiidot edu
Dr. Eric Grosfils, Chair, Planetary Division of the Geological Society
of America, Geology Department, Pomona College, 609 N.College Ave.,
Claremont, CA 91711, egrosfils@pomonadot edu
==========
(6) TWO PUZZLING SUPERBOLIDES
Meteoritics and Planetary Science 36(9),supplement,p.A175,2001.
M.C.L.Rocca-Mendoza 2779-16A, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
maxrocca@hotmail.com
Introduction: Superbolides are meteors brighter than mag -17. Bolides or
fireballs are used for meteors from mag -4 and brighter. Superbolides are
rare events(1). Infrared and visible wavelenghts sensors aboard DOD
satellites have detected and recorded a number of superbolide events in
the past decade(2). As part of a search in old scientific publications
two oceanic superbolide events have come to light. The first is the most
enigmatic: The following account of unusual phenomena was received March
10, at the Hydrographic office, Washington, from the branch office in
San Francisco. The bark Innerwich, Capt. Waters, has just arrived at
Victoria from Yokohama. At midnight of Feb. 24(1885), in latitude 37d
north, longitude 170d 15m east, the captain was aroused by the mate,
and went on deck to find the sky changing to a fiery red. All at once
a large mass of fire appeared over the vessel, completly blinding the
spectators; and, as it fell into the sea some fifty yards to leeward,
it caused a hissing sound, which was heard above the blast, and made
the vessel quiver from stem to stern. Hardly had this disappeared,
when a lowering mass of white foam was seen rapidly approaching the
vessel. The noise from the advancing volume of water is described as
deafening. The bark was struck flat aback; but, before there was time
to touch a brace, the sails had filled again, and the roaring white
sea had passed ahead. To increase the horror of the situation, another
'vast sheet of flame' ran down the mizzen-mast, and 'poured in myriads
of sparks' from the rigging. The strange redness of the sky remained
for twenty minutes. The master, an old and experienced mariner, declares
that the awfulness of the sight was beyond description, and considers
that the ship had a narrow escape from destruction(3). The mention that
the sky got red BEFORE the event is puzzling but it is not the only
one in the literature. Concerning the Brazilian Superbolide at Curuca
River we read:
"On the morning of the 13th August 1930 the sky was clear and glorious
equatorial sun had risen to usher in the new day... Suddenly,at about 8
o'clock , the sun became blood-red and darkness spread over everything,
almost as if a thick cloud had intercepted the sun's rays...but there is
no cloud...only the appearence of reddish dust in the atmosphere,giving
the impresion of an immense fire that would reduce to ashes all the
elements of nature. Fine ash begins to fall on the plants of the forest
and on the waters of the river...when suddenly a multiple hissing noise
is heard coming from the high,sounding like whistles or artillery
shells...and the hissing noise comes closer and closer to the earth...
Some fisherman did have courage ,and while standing in the middle of the
river raised their eyes to the sky and saw large fireballs of fire which
fell from the sky like thunderbolts. They landed in the centre of the
forest with a triple shock similar to the rumble of thunder and the
splash of lighting. There were 3 distinct explosion each stronger than
the other causing earth tremors like those on an earthquake."(4), (5).
This event could be interpreted both as a meteoritic one or, perhaps,
as the consequence of some kind of plasma interaction in the high
atmosphere(6). The second event is a superbolide falling in the sea:
"When the Phoenix Line Steamship St. Andrew arrived from Antwerp
yesterday, Captain Fitzgerald reported that the steamer had passed a
meteoric shower at 4:30 o'clock on Tuesday(October 30,1906) about 600
miles NE of Cape Race. The largest meteor observed fell into the sea
less than a mile away. Had it struck the St. Andrew all hands would have
perished. Yesterday afternoon Chief Officer V.E. Spencer , who was on
the bridge when the meteors appeared ,told what he saw there.'On Tuesday
afternoon,'said Mr. Spencer,'the weather was clear and bright, although
there was little sunshine.Just after one bell,4:30 o'clock, I saw three
meteors fall into the water dead ahead of the ship one after another at
a distance about 5 miles. Although it was day light,they left a red
streak in the air from zenith to the horizon. Simultaneously the third
engineer shouted to me. I then saw a huge meteor on the port beam falling
in a zig-zag manner less than a mile away to the southward. We could
distinctly hear the hissing of water as it touched. It fell with a rocking
motion leaving a broad red streak in its wake. The meteor must have weighed
several tons,and appeared to be 10 to 15 feet in diameter. It was saucer
shaped which probably accounted for the peculiar rocking motion.When the
mass of metal struck the water the spray and staem rose to a height of at
least 40 feet,and for a few moments looked like the mouth of a crater. If it
had been night,the meteor would have illuminated the sea for 50 or 60
miles.The hissing sound,like escaping steam,when it struck the water was so
loud that the chief engineer turned out of his berth and came on
deck,thinking the sound came from the engine room. I have seen meteors all
over the world, but never such a large one as this"(7).
Careful searches in old journals may offer new examples of interesting
superbolide events.
REFERENCES:
(1): Ceplecha Z. et al.(1999),METEOROIDS 1998, Astron. Inst.,Slovak
Acad.Sci.,Bratislava,pp37-54.
(2): Tagliaferri E. et al.(1994) in "Hazards due to Comets and
Asteroids",T.Gehrels ed.,Univ. of Arizona,p199.
(3): Anonymous(1885),Science,(old serie),5,pp242-243.
(4): Bailey M.E. et al.(1995),The Observatory 115,No1128,pp250-253.
(5): Huyghe P.(1996),The Sciences,March/April ,pp14-17.
(6): Spalding R.E.(2000),private communication.
(7): anonymous(1906),The New York Times,November 3,1906,Head.
) Meteoritical Society, 2001.
=================
(9) RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AT YONSEI UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY
>From Duncan Steel <D.I.Steel@salford.acdot uk>
Dear Benny,
Professor Yong-Ik Byun, the Director of the Yonsei University
Observatory in Korea, has asked that the following be brought
to the attention of NEO astronomers.
Duncan Steel
=================================================================
Yonsei University Observatory (YUO) in Seoul, Korea is seeking an
observational astronomer for a two-year appointment as research
fellow. Candidates with a few years of postdoctoral experience
will be preferred. Research opportunities at YUO include
1. YSTAR project, several 0.5-meter robotic telescopes to be
placed around the globe for general sky monitoring looking
for variable objects and also NEOs. Our first overseas
observatory is being built in South Africa.
2. GALEX project, UV all-sky survey space telescope being
prepared in cooperation with Caltech/NASA and French group.
The launch is expected in mid 2002. Yonsei is an official
partner.
3. KVN project, YUO is a host institute for a 20-meter millimeter
telescope and also the national array project office
consisting of three identical radio telescopes placed around
Korea. The construction will begin in 2002.
4. TAOS project, research focused on Kuiper-Belt object survey
based on Occultation technique. Yonsei is a partner for this
Taiwan-American cooperation.
5. Use of national observatory facilities including 1.8-meter
Bohyunsan observatory, 14-meter millimeter observatory and a
Korean share of the CFHT telescope.
For this position, YUO is especially interested in candidates in
the fields of NEO or stellar variability research. However
candidates with other observational interests are also encouraged
to apply. Successful candidate is expected to begin the
appointment from March 1st, 2002. Participation to undergraduate
and graduate education is strongly encouraged, but the teaching
duty will not exceed one course per semester. For single
candidates, accommodation at the university dormitory can be
arranged at modest charge. Information on Yonsei University can
be found in the English page of http://www.yonsei.ac.kr.
Interested candidates should contact Professor Yong-Ik Byun at
byun@darksky.yonsei.ac.kr no later than January 12, 2002.
-------------------------------------------------------
Yong-Ik Byun Director, University Observatory
Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 Korea
byun@darksky.yonsei.ac.kr
phone) 82-2-2123-2693 fax) 82-2-362-5135
-------------------------------------------------------
============================
* LETTERS TO THE MODERATOR *
============================
(13) ANOTHER BORRELLY ENIGMA TO PONDER
>From Worth Crouch <doagain@jpsdot net>
Dear Dr. Peiser:
After reading the latest article about comet Borrelly, I thought it
sounded strange when I read, "Comet Borrelly dishes out so much material
from its midsection -- some 2 tons every minute -- that it will likely
break in half within 10,000 years, says Laurence Soderblom, U.S.
Geological Survey researcher who led the imaging team." Consequently, I
tried to discover the mass of Borrelly and found that because of many
factors such as the following the mass was difficult to discover.
In the published article Observations of comet 19P/Borrelly with the
integral field spectrograph TIGER. By spectrograph TIGER.Festou M.C.,
Observatoire Midi-Pyrinies (Toulouse, Fr, and Southwest Research
Institute, Boulder, CO, USA), Bacon R. (Observatoire de Lyon, Fr) and
Barale O. (Observatoire Midi- Pyrinies, Fr) they wrote, "If the behavior
of the comet were monitored along its orbit, it would then become
possible to precisely model the jet action on the nucleus resulting from
the of the nuclear gases, to derive the magnitude and orientation of the
resulting force that perturbs the comet motion and finally deduce the
mass of the nucleus." Thus, I realized that the mass had not yet been
determined, because the behavior of the comet was not monitored along
its
orbit long enough. However, without determining the mass of Borrelly I
thought it strange that the comet had been calculated to break apart in
10,000 years.
Later in another Space.com article by Robert Britt (18 September
2000), he wrote, "In the comet, called LINEAR, the density of water was
no more than 30 kilograms per cubic meter, far less than the figure of
500 often assumed." Therefore, I concluded that if I used the asteroid
Asclepius, which is about 50 million tons, (0.4-kilometer) wide, and
about 1/20 the size of Borrelly, and if its' mass is used as an example
to extrapolate data for Borrelly the following calculations can be made.
Assuming that 1/2 of the 8 kilometer Comet Borrelly, or 4 kilometers, is
the proportional size/mass of Asclepius and with reference to LINEAR's
density of water at 30 kilograms per cubic meter then the following
should be true: 500,000,000 tons (min/2ton) (hr/60 min)(day/24hr)
(year/365 day) = 475 years would be the life expectancy of Borrelly.
However, that doesn't seem like a sound conclusion, consequently someone
has made the wrong calculations. As a matter of fact it seems that
Borrelly would have to have a mass of about 20 times 500 million tons to
exist 10,000 more years and break in half. However, I didn't say my
calculations were correct either.
I am baff[]led,
Worth Crouch (Talako)
cosmiccatastrophe.com
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