[meteorite-list] Meteorites on the moon

From: E.P. Grondine <epgrondine_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Sep 1 05:41:12 2006
Message-ID: <20060901094109.35979.qmail_at_web36907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi Sterling, Rob, List -

There is no combined model of asteroid and comet flux
which accounts for the observed craters on all bodies
in our solar system. The mechanics of the Earth-Moon
system have never really been worked out. We really
don't know if the Moon gets hit more often than the
Earth ot less. Shoemaker, who did a lot of the early
Apollo era work, later renounced a lot of it.

By the way, no matter what you hear on TV, the impact
of a comet killed the dinosaurs, not the impact of an
asteroid.

thoughts at 4 in the morning,
godd hunting,
Ed

--- "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb_at_sbcglobal.net>
wrote:

> Hi, Rob, List,
>
>
> The ratio of the areas of Earth:Moon is roughly
> 16:1, but
> the deflection caused by Earth's stronger
> gravitational reach
> makes the ratio of impacts about 18:1.
> The lunar impact rate is a more accurate measure
> of the
> meteroid flux in the vicinity of the Earth's orbit
> than the Earth's
> impact rate is, for that reason.
> Even lunar gravity has a "focusing" effect in
> attracting
> meteroids. The actual "space" flux of meteroids is
> calculated
> to be about 85% to 86% of the rate implied by the
> impact rate
> on the Earth.
> It's much harder to figure out an accurate rate
> of impacts on
> the Earth, though. As a result, we have no firm
> figure to multiply
> by 0.85.
>
>
> Sterling K. Webb
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rob McCafferty" <rob_mccafferty_at_yahoo.com>
> To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 3:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorites on the moon
>
>
> > ...lunar impacts are rarer than Earth ones due to
> the
> > weak gravity of the moon and not just it's smaller
> > cross-section.
> >
> > Rob McC
>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
>
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>


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Received on Fri 01 Sep 2006 05:41:09 AM PDT


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