[meteorite-list] Dwarf Planet 'Becoming A Comet' (2003 EL61)

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:43:40 -0600
Message-ID: <02a401c7563c$06ca82b0$32ea8c46_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi,

    Of course, 2003 EL61 presently has water
resurfacing going on, even though it orbits further
out than Neptune, so it must have a source of
internal heat to drive its "hydrovulcanism." With
its high density (3.2?), it could well be differentiated.

    The annoying thing is that the BBC (and only the
BBC) reported Brown's remarks at a seminar as a kind
of "science gossip." If Brown has orbital calculations
that show 2003 EL61 can be perturbed into the inner
solar system, he does not mention it on his website
nor has he published them.

    I think he got the idea from dynamicists who run
computer simulations of resonances and the like, rather
than an actual orbital calculation. We have observed far
too little of 2003 EL61's orbit to know it precisely to
determine that, at this point.

> It's just I don't think this thing is coming or has
> ever has come into the inner solar system before.

    After 4+ billion years in the same orbit, I think it's
pretty unlikely too. That's a good thing...


Sterling K. Webb
-------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob McCafferty" <rob_mccafferty at yahoo.com>
To: "Jason Utas" <meteoritekid at gmail.com>;
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 5:28 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Dwarf Planet 'Becoming A Comet' (2003 EL61)


In the context of what I had written I concede this is
a fair point.
However. I'd like to know which comets have confirmed
hydrovulcanism and where the info source.
I can appreciate it happens but the energy source for
such an event seems lacking once beyond the ice line.
I am quite willing to blame my own shortsightedness
for this.

It's just I don't think this thing is coming or has
ever has come into the inner solar system before. It
just doesn't match the pattern my half arsed look has
seen.

Rob McC



--- Jason Utas <meteoritekid at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello Rob, All,
>
> >Comets are generally considered to be a thin layer
> of
> rocky material over a lot of volatites, the complete
> opposite. I could well be wrong on this. Virgin
> comets
> are unusually bright on their first perihelion
> passage. One theory is that the surface volatiles ar
> vapourised away leaving this outer layer of dark
> material. This would suggest that if EL61 is indeed,
> becoming a comet, this is it's first journey inward
> which seems most unlikely.
>
> And yet, this would all depend on the amount of
> hydrovolcanism on the
> surface of the body itself - if there were enough
> activity to completely
> resurface the2003 EL61 with ice since it experienced
> it's great impact,
> what's to say it hasn't been resurfaced since its
> last close perihelion?
> I know that some comets have geysers of their
> own...is there any data around
> that tells us how long it might take for any
> particular comet (I know many
> would be different) to completely resurface itself
> with ice and thus enter
> the inner solar system brighter than when it had
> last left?
> Regards,
> Jason
>
>
Received on Wed 21 Feb 2007 11:43:40 PM PST