[meteorite-list] Troilite in meteorites ... and in comets?

From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: 02 Aug 2007 12:29:56 UT
Message-ID: <DIIE.000000AD00001C8A_at_paulinet.de>

Hello List,

Troilite (FeS) in meteorites, both in irons and in stones, is something
we've long grown used to. But FeS in comets? Yes, that's right. If
interested in reading about that, go to p. 17 of the September 2007
issue of Sky & Telescope (should by now be in your mailbox if you
have a subscription). An Italian team led by Marco Fulle (National
Institute for Astrophysics, Italy) concludes that a faint arc detected
in McNaught's tail is most likely iron atoms coming from fluffy bits
of troilite (FeS).

And, interestingly, this is not the first time that troilite has been found in
a comet. Grains of this mineral have also been found in the samples returned
by "Stardust" from the coma of Comet Wild 2!

Troilitically
Yours,

Bernd
Received on Thu 02 Aug 2007 08:29:56 AM PDT