[meteorite-list] Leonid

From: Chris Peterson <clp_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 12:24:47 -0700
Message-ID: <02ab01c718a3$06ac27b0$2721500a_at_bellatrix>

That doesn't happen. It isn't physically possible for a meteor to still
be flaming close to the ground (that is, below several miles height)
unless it is massive- many tons. An object like that is both extremely
rare (certainly not the product of the Leonid debris stream) and
produces a fireworks show - if not a crater- that will be seen by
thousands and recorded seismically.

Even meteors that undergo a terminal explosion- that is, which disrupt
very close to the point where they are no longer incandescent- still
produce meteorites with a fusion crust. The outer surface only takes a
fraction of a second to form (and actually does so after the
incandescent flight- before that the surface is simply ablating).

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message -----
From: <jwb7772 at netzero.net>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 11:45 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Leonid


Walter.
 Remember it blew up in the air close to the ground! You are looking at
the inside. That is why there is no crust. Jim B
Received on Tue 05 Dec 2006 02:24:47 PM PST