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Re: (meteorobs) Fireballs ,meteor sounds, nomenclature etc,
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Fox wrote:
> As for meteors with a cometary origin being quite
> different from asteroidal ones; let us not forget that
> the "comet snowball" theory does not quite satisfy the
> questions raised with the close-up pictures of the
> latest comet fly-by. From what I gathered, it is a
> lot more barren and/or dry on one than anyone
> expected. I have long suspected this.
>
Much still has to be learned about the nature of comets and asteroids
for that matter. The snowball theory proposed by Fred Whipple many years
ago provided an explanation for cometary tails and associate cometary
meteoroid sources. The close fly-by photographs indicate a more solid core
than first envisioned. A Lander, some time in the future, should answer
many of the questions that still remain a puzzle. Let's hope this happens
soon so the nature of these objects are fully understood so it will be
possible to deal with a large impactor.
Ed Majden
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