[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) Re: Possible Meteors from Mars?
Of a possible martian meteoroid stream, Marco Langbroek wrote:
GWG> A recent thread on the meteorite-list suggested a possible martian
GWG> meteoroid stream with a maximum on October 3rd. List member Steve Schoner
GWG> suggested this, and pointed out that two famous martian meteorite falls,
GWG> Chassigny (1815), and Zagami (1962) fell on this date. No location of a
GWG> possible radiant was given, but maybe someone on this last can calculate
GWG> a theoretical radiant.
> I like the idea, but the point is, I cannot conceive of any kind of orbital
> mechanics that would deliver Martian meteorites to earth in the form of a
> concise stream. A stream results when debris is trailing a parent object in
> similar orbits, e.g. trailing an (near-earth orbit) asteroid or comet.
> Ordinary meteorites can have an origin in a near-earth asteroid. But Martian
> meteorites by definition do not. It is debris thrown away from the Martian
> surface in presumably widely varying trajectories. I cannot conceive of any
> mechanism which would cause this to form a compact stream.
How about if the impact on Mars was a low angle one, almost tangental, and
the resulting vector for some ejecta was nearly the same, like a ray from
the Tycho impact on the moon is?
> It would require
> an asteroid-sized body of SNC composition in a Near Earth orbit with debris
> originating on this body (and not Mars itself) trailing it and I don't see
> how that would be possible, for debris originating from an impact on Mars.
This would be difficult to explain, if this is so.
> If SNC meteorites would really form a stream, then this in fact might
> indicate that Mars is NOT their parent object. Unless someone from the
> impact-scientists can point out the likelyness of an impact on Mars throwing
> a significantly *large* body (i.e. asteroid size) into a NEA orbit. Just my
> 2 cents worth of thoughts on this. Comments welcome.
Possibly, but only if my explanation is incorrect, but I see your point.
GWG
The archive and Web site for our list is at http://www.meteorobs.org
To stop getting all email from the 'meteorobs' lists, use our Webform:
http://www.meteorobs.org/subscribe.html
References: