[meteorite-list] Vesta is NOT a "protoplanet"

From: Rob Matson <mojave_meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:19:24 -0700
Message-ID: <GOEDJOCBMMEHLEFDHGMMMENCEKAA.mojave_meteorites_at_cox.net>

Hi John,

Just a gentle request to resist the urge to parrot NASA's erroneous
(and mildly self-serving) labeling of Vesta as a "protoplanet". Vesta
will never evolve into a planet via accretion, so while one might
have optimistically called it a protoplanet 4+ billion years ago,
that window of opportunity has long since closed. To label it as
such is simply an anacronism; it is an asteroid, and nothing more.

Cheers,
Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com]On Behalf Of John
Lutzon
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 8:50 PM
To: brian burrer
Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is Vesta Mong Nong?

Hello List,

I don't know what i don't know---so:
The latest photo of Vesta shows about 1/2 of this protoplanet which is about
350 miles in diameter
and the largest crater looks approximately 1/10 0f this radius which means
the crater dia. is about 17.5 miles--quite a hit for such a little guy.
 I remember seeing a photo of a much smaller asteroid with an impact crater
of
about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the whole thing and wonder why it wasn't
cracked in half or completely obliterated.

So, are impact forces mitigated when an object is not in a tightly bound
orbit confiscation and just gets "pushed" rather than crushed?

John
Received on Sat 23 Jul 2011 12:19:24 AM PDT