[meteorite-list] Fusion Crusted Asteroid?

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:08:58 -0800
Message-ID: <4B94785A.5070400_at_meteoritesusa.com>

About a year ago I asked a question about fusion crusted meteoroids and
the possibility or probability of them given earth grazing asteroids.
Fusion Crusted "Meteoroids"
http://www.mail-archive.com/meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com/msg72463.html

Now there's an article in New Scientist about "Dark Asteroids" that
reflect only 5% of light it receives from the Sun. Could these be fusion
crusted asteroids?

Did WISE find one?
Dark, dangerous asteroids found lurking near Earth
"...One of these objects is as dark as fresh asphalt, reflecting less
than 5 per cent of the light it receives..."
FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18616-dark-dangerous-asteroids-found-lurking-near-earth.html

Why?, because I like asking questions that make people think open
mindedly about possibilities...

Oh yeah, some related articles for ya's...

Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Odd X-Pattern of Trailing Debris
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/asteroid-20100202.html

Suspected Hypervelocity Collision in the Asteroid Belt
http://geology.com/nasa/asteroid-collision/

Asteroid fragments on a fast collision course with Earth
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=14574

Asteroids Sunburn with Age:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3309121.html?page=1&c=y

Asteroids Get a Surface Makeover When They Pass Near Earth
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=asteroid-quakes

Asteroid Craters In Relation to Age:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7699-145cosmic-botox-bashes-asteroid-wrinkles-away.html

Asteroid Age Fast With a Solar Wind Tan
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/04/22/young-asteroids-age-fast-with-a-solar-wind-tan/

Cosmic Radiation & Asteroid 2008 TC3:
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010LPI....41.2256W
High Porosity and Cosmic-Ray Exposure Age of Asteroid 2008 TC3 Derived
from Cosmogenic Nuclides
Cosmogenic radionuclides in the Almahata Sitta ureilite, combined with
measured size of 28 m3, indicate that asteroid 2008 TC3 had a density of
1.5 g/cm3 and a porosity of 55%. Cosmogenic noble gas concentrations
indicate a cosmic-ray exposure age of 15 Myr.

Given all this, how old are asteroids, really?

Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA

P.S. This is of course related (if however loosely) to my "dumb"
question about the Wethersfield meteorites and the possibility of them
being from the same parent body.
Received on Sun 07 Mar 2010 11:08:58 PM PST