[meteorite-list] Re: Kitchen Comets

From: Bob Martino <martino.6_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:02:24 2004
Message-ID: <v03130300b8a801b9025f_at_[65.24.110.16]>

All,

The educational materials page of the Perkins Observatory web site has my
own take on the kitchen comet activity (as well as many other cool things,
like lots of paper models of rockets and spacecraft).

I use sand instead of dirt, since dirt has twigs, seeds, and worms in it
which are typically not found in comets. For the "organic" molecules I use
plain, pure, discarded photocopier toner. It's nice and black and nearly
pure carbon. As the comet melts the carbon forms a very authentic sludge
on the surface.

And don't forget the methane! For this I just tell my audience about the
major source of methane in the Earth's atmosphere - it's a byproduct of
animal digestion. So I take a stuffed cow and have it pass some gas into
the bucket. Sure its crude. That's why the kids love it so.

http://www.perkins-observatory.org/education.html

Mooo!


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Martino Can you really name a star?
                                   http://home.columbus.rr.com/starfaq/
"I look up to the heavens
 but night has clouded over
 no spark of constellation
 no Vela no Orion." -Enya
Received on Sun 03 Mar 2002 11:43:07 AM PST