[meteorite-list] Small Asteroid 2010 AL30 Will Fly Past TheEarth

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:38:32 -0600
Message-ID: <3FDA0235395B49279ACF630267CD55A7_at_ATARIENGINE2>

The only objects I know of that are moving
faster than the local escape velocity of the
solar system (and hence must be from outside
our solar system) are a small percentage of
the "meteoroids" detected by AMOR radar
systems. But they're so small they're usually
referred to as "dust" or "micrometeoroids,"
although the largest particles are at about
100 microns and might be called small
meteoroids by some.

About 25% of the hypervelocity dust particles
detected by radar are centered on beta Pictoris,
a nearby star with a huge protoplanetary (?)
dust disc, and it is reasonably assumed they
came from there.

This demonstrates that there is an ongoing transfer
of small amounts of fine, dusty material between
different stellar systems, a notion fraught with
possibilities...


Sterling K. Webb
---------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <geozay at aol.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 12:04 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Small Asteroid 2010 AL30 Will Fly Past
TheEarth


>
>
>
>>>"My" definition of "meteoroid" is just the standard
> textbook definition. Before it hits the Earth, it's
> a "meteoroid." While in fiery flight through the
> atmosphere, it's a "meteor." If a piece lands on the
> Earth (and somebody finds it), it's a "meteorite."<<
>
> I understood that a meteoroid is a small bodied natural object, in a
> separate solar orbit from that of earth's. When it enters the earths
> atmosphere
> and in the incandescent phase, the visible phenomena is a meteor.
> Afterwards, during the dark phase, its no longer in a separate solar
> orbit from that
> of the earth's. It has yet to hit the ground to become a meteorite.
> What
> is this object called during the dark phase? I personally call it a
> meteorite since its under the control of the earth at that point and
> not
> independent of the earth. Also there has been detected by various
> space probes out
> around Jupiter, "meteoroids" that are too fast to be in solar orbit
> and thus
> of interstellar origins. Are these still called meteoroids?
> GeoZay
>
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Received on Wed 13 Jan 2010 01:38:32 AM PST