[meteorite-list] Cali chondrite fell extremely cold!

From: lebofsky at lpl.arizona.edu <lebofsky_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:07:48 -0700 (MST)
Message-ID: <3230.71.226.60.25.1185836868.squirrel_at_timber.lpl.arizona.edu>

Hi All:

My two cents.

We had are usual "asteroid lunch" today (discuss them and other related
topics, not eat them). I brought up this topic. Among others there was me,
an asteroid person (used to do them modeling of asteroids and, yes, they
are cold inside since the "typical" asteroid probably spends much of its
time further from the Sun than the Earth); a meteorite person, Tim
Swindle; and an impact person, Jay Melosh. We all agreed that meteorites
will be cold (or at least very cool) when they land. The effects of
heating due to entry and fusion crust formation should be "gone" in tens
of seconds (while they are still falling). So their temperature on the
ground should reflect their ambient temperature in space.

By the way, they had never heard of the (very good) suggestion that a
person touching a very cold meteorite may actually think that the burning
sensation is heat and not cold.

Larry

On Mon, July 30, 2007 2:31 pm, Charlie Devine wrote:
> Hello Robert and list,
>
>
> Robert wrote:
>
>
>> "If you touch something that is
>> extremely cold (such as dry ice), you feel a burning sensation. Too much
>> cold becomes too hot."
>
> Robert further wrote:
>
>
>> I wonder if people who claim that
>> meteorites were hot to the touch, were simply mistaking the cold
>> temperature as being hot.
>
> I've long suspected that was the case, Robert.
> Richard Pearl, in his 1975 book "Fallen from Heaven: Meteorites and
> Man", reports the following regarding the fall of the Forest City, Iowa
> meteorite on 5/2/1890:
>
> "This brilliant fireball, 'sputtering though its
> course like fireworks' traveled eastward, leaving a smoke trail and a noise
> like 'heavy cannonading' and a 'rushing sound'
> or 'unearthly hissing'. As at Estherville, a contested ballgame was in
> progress at the time. Although it was reported to be hot, a boy who picked
> up a piece from an unsinged stack of straw complained that it was 'so cold
> that it burned his hand'".
>
> Best wishes,
> Charlie
>
>
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Received on Mon 30 Jul 2007 07:07:48 PM PDT