PLEASE NOTE:
*
CCNet DIGEST, 8 April 1999
--------------------------
(1) AT LONG LAST, MY WIFE BELIEVES ME THAT I'VE GOT A HEAVENLY
BODY
Benny J Peiser <b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk>
(2) MICRO-METEOROID & ORBITAL DEBRIS IMPACTS ON THE HUBBLE
SPACE
TELESCOPE
Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
(3) THE LITTLE ICE AGE & INCREASED METEORIC ACTIVITY:
1500-1750 CE
Tae-jin Yi <tjyi@plaza.snu.ac.kr>
(4) UNUSUAL CELESTIAL EVENTS AND UFO MANIA
Luigi Foschini <L.Foschini@isao.bo.cnr.it>
(5) ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES BREAKING UP DUE TO DECADES OF
HIGHER TEMPERATURES
Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro..utoronto.ca>
(6) MARTIAN VOLATILE EVOLUTION, CLIMATE CHANGE &
EXOBIOLOGICAL
IMPLICATIONS
B.M. Jakosky, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
(7) A SIMPLE CHONDRITIC MODEL OF MARS
C. Sanloup et al., ECOLE NORMALE SUPER LYON
(8) TRACE ELEMENT MICROANALYSIS IN IRON METEORITES
A.J. Campbell et al., UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
===============
(1) AT LONG LAST, MY WIFE BELIEVES ME THAT I'VE GOT A HEAVENLY
BODY
From Benny J Peiser <b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk>
Many thanks to all well-wishers who have congratulated me
regarding
Minor Planet (7107) Peiser. (I've attached just two of the
messages by
two special friends). More importantly, though - my wife, at long
last,
now believes that I've got a heavenly body.....
Benny
----------------
From Sir Arthur Clarke
Dear Benny,
Congratulations! Now we're both absentee
landlords beyond the
orbit of Mars.
(The IAU apologised to me because 2001 wasn't
available - it had
been allocated to someone called A. Einstein.
All
best,
Arthur 7 Apr 99
----------------------
From David H. Levy <dhlevy@LPL.Arizona.EDU>
Congratulations Benny! How does it feel to have a piece of
celestial
real estate?
All the best
David
=======================
(2) MICRO-METEOROID & ORBITAL DEBRIS IMPACTS ON THE HUBBLE
SPACE
TELESCOPE
From Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
[From October-December 1998 issue (Vol. 3 Issue 4) of ORBITAL
DEBRIS
QUARTERLY NEWS. Images supporting this article are
available at
http://sn-callisto.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/v3i4/v3i4.html#news1
.]
Imagery Survey of the Hubble Space Telescope
During the second servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope
(HST)
by the STS-82 mission in February, 1997, an extensive imagery
survey
was performed covering approximately 97% of the HST surface. The
results of a dedicated study to identify and to characterize
apparent
micrometeoroid and orbital debris (M/OD) impacts have been
recently
documented in a new NASA JSC report, "Survey of the Hubble
Space
Telescope Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Impacts from Service
Mission 2 Imagery," by G.J. Byrne, D.R. Bretz, M.H. Holly,
M.T. Gaunce,
and C.A. Sapp.
Employing video, photography, and electronic still imagery (a
total of
2500 still frames and 17 hours of video), the analysis team was
able to
identify 788 potential impacts on the HST aft shroud, equipment
section, aft bulkhead, grapple fixtures, aperture door, and solar
arrays. The analysis process involved first screening and
categorizing
the images, then imagery review and M/OD impact identification,
followed by mapping and measurements of the impact features.
Over 500 of the impacts were found on the aft shroud and
equipment
section where highly reflective surfaces facilitated detection of
impact features. Approximately 80% of the impact zones measured
less
than 0.8 cm, although the largest was 4.7 cm in diameter.
A plot of the number of impacts of a given outer diameter size
range
illustrates the expected exponential increase down to a size of
0.4 -
0.5 cm, where sensitivity limits of the imagery apparently lead
to a
reduced count. The distribution of impacts around the aft shroud
suggest a real difference in the number of particle impacts on
the +V3
and the -V3 sides.
An attempt was also made to compare the number of impacts seen on
the
first servicing mission in December 1993 (after 44 months
exposure in
LEO) and the second servicing mission (after an additional 38
months
exposure in LEO). A limited comparison of the +V3 quadrant showed
an
increase in the density of observed strikes from approximately 5
impacts per square meter to approximately 20 impacts per square
meter.
While some of this increase is undoubtedly due to the superior
quality
of the imagery obtained during the second servicing mission, a
change
in the environment may also be indicated.
The next servicing mission to HST is scheduled for May, 2000, and
an
additional imagery survey is planned.
=================
(3) THE LITTLE ICE AGE & INCREASED METEORIC ACTIVITY:
1500-1750 CE
From Tae-jin Yi <tjyi@plaza.snu.ac.kr>
Dear Benny,
I would like to introduce to you my research results of meteor
fallings
and other natural phenomena between c.1500-1750, gathered from
the
"Annals of the Choson Dynasty Korea" (Choson wangjo
sillok in Korean).
My results have already been published in "Celestial
Mechanics and
Dynamical Astronomy" 69 (1998) and are available at
http://plaza.snu.ac.kr/~tjyi.
I am a historian whose research on the "17th-Century
Crisis" theory has
led me into the realm of the natural sciences. After I came
across that
theory in the works of Western scholars, I felt that the Annals
could
also be a valuable source of materials. The scribes who compiled
the
Annals were faithful and meticulous in recording all natural and
'supernatural' phenomena, in accordance with the distinctive
Confucian
view of nature.
I examined 471 years' worth of records in the Annals (1392-1863).
Based
on these records, I have concluded that the Little Ice Age began
as
early as the end of 15th century and lasted until the middle of
the
18th century. Futhermore, the data suggests that the cause of the
Little Ice Age might be linked to the abnormally high number of
meteors
which fell over an extended period of time. The total volume of
the
records documenting 471 years of 25 monarchs comprise 1,893
volumes--888 books in all.
I examined the distribution of the records of abnormal phenomena,
divided roughly into 50 year periods.(period 1: 1392-1450, p 2:
1451-1500, p 3: 1501-1550, --- p 9: 1801-1863) Through this
examination
I discovered that the records of unusual phenomena were
concentrated
from period 3 to 7, or the period from 1501-1750. This 250 year
period
comprises 62% of the total period examined, yet it accounts for
80 % of
the recorded phenomena.
The most common phenomena between 1500-1750 include:
(1) meteor appearances and fallings (2) colored vapors in the sky
(3)
the daytime apearances of Venus (4) halos around the sun or
moon (5)
thunder and lightning (6) hail (7) violent windstorms (8) frost
(9)
unseasonal snow (10) sudden darkness during the day (11) dust
storms
(12) fog or fog-like clouds (13) changes in the sun or moon (14)
colored snow or rain, and (15) earthquakes.
(1) The records of the appearances and fallings of meteors,
especially
during the period in question, include descriptions of the
meteor's
size and shape, the length of its tail, and its color, its
radiance and
loudness. Only meteors which were thought to be usually large and
bright were recorded. Out of a total 3,431 recorded
instances or 97%
were observed in periods 3 through 7 just in Seoul, which means
that
the total number of meteors which entered the atmosphere
throughtout
the world must have been enormous.
(2) Among the recorded phenomena, the ones which would appear to
be
most closely related to meteor fallings would be the colored
vapors in
the sky. Altogether, there were 1,052 records of colored vapors,
which
were described as white vapors, black -, red -, fire-, and bright
lightning flahses. Of the 1,052 records, 94% or 991 records
occured
from the periods in question. Based on the pictures of the
Pasamonte
meteorite on March 24, 1933, I have concluded that the colored
vapors
in the records can be interpreted as being signs of a metor
passage.
(3) There are 4,887 instances of Venus appearing during the
daytime
recorded in the Annals. Of these, 3,941 or 87 % of them took
place
during periods 3 - 7. The frequent appearance of Venus during the
daytime can be quite possibly attributed to the rays of sun were
partially blocked by meteor dust in the atmosphere.
(4) Halos around the sun and the moon appeared at a similar
frequency
to the daytime appearance of Venus. Out of a total 5,629 recorded
instances (4,487 solar -, 1,142 lunar -), 4,739 or 84% were
sighted in
periods 3-7. Most of the records on halos in periods 1,2,8, and 9
have
simple description; the sun (or moon) had a halo. In contrast,
the
majority of the records from 3-7 have more detailed description
of the
color, of two rings appearing on the sides, of certain shapes
appearing
on the top or the bottom, and of a pale rainbow wrapping itself
around
the sun. It appears that the atmospheric anomalies such as the
presence
of so much meteor dust led to the formation of these strange
halos.
(5)(6) Altogether there were 2,370 records of thunder and
lightning, 74
% of which, or 1,746 cases, took place during the periods
in question.
Records of hail storms amounted to 2,006 incidents, with 81 % or
1,622
happening during the crucial periods. Thunder/linghtning were
spread
out over all the months, occuring most frequently from the eighth
month
to the twelfth month (by the lunar calendar) of the year. The
fact that
thunder/lightning, and hail occured so frequently out of season
suggests that the underlying reasons behind these phenomena were
not
seasonal-related. There were also many records of
thunder/lightning and
hail simultaneouly.
(7)(8)(9) There are many instances recorded in the Annals of
violent
windsorms occuring with thunder/lighting mixed with hail or rain
during
the period in question. The monthly distribution of the storms
recorded
indicates that these were not ordinary seasonal typhoons. The
numerous
records of frost and unseasonal snow which also occured during
this
period help attest to the overal temperature drop related to the
meteor
fallings. Unseasonal snow fell frequently, not only in the 3rd,
4th and
9th lunar months, but even during the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th
lunar
months.
(10)-(14) There were many instances recorded where dust fell
almost
unendingly, or the land became dark everywhere, or a
"fog-like element"
covered the land. Related phenomena include the sun or the moon
losing
their light and turning red or dark, or the illusory effect of
two or
three suns or even the sun appearing to shake in the sky. Since
it has
been confirmed that a large number of meteor appeared and fell
during
this period, the reasons behind these phenomena are not difficult
to
determine. The dust resulting from meteors would have
accumulated,
covering the area like a fog, even to the point of approaching
darkness. The light of the sun and the moon would have been
blocked by
this veil of dust, which would have caused them to appear red.
The sun
appearing in double or triple, or the sun 'shaking' are phenomena
both
of which would have been caused by the refraction of the sun's
rays
caused by dust. The black rain, the "grain-seed" rain
or "pineflower
dust" rain, or the red/yellow/black snow described in the
records would
have been caused by the meteor dust being mixed with the rain or
snow.
(15) An extremely large number of earthquakes took place during
periods
3-7. Of the total 1,500 recorded instances, 1,225 or 81% took
place
during this critical period. This means that over the 250 year
period,
an average of six earthquakes took place every year. Todays,
earthquakes occur so infrequently in Korea that it is considered
to be
an earthquake-safe area by modern standards. It would be
difficult to
explain such frequent repetition of earthquakes simply through
the
movement of the earth's tectonic plates. Many of the records of
earthquakes and thunder found in the Annals are not ordinary
earthquakes and thunder, but rather shock waves and explosive
sounds
caused by meteor fallings being mistaken as such.
The Little Ica Age was accompanied by drought, floods, plague,
famine,
pestilence and other calamities. Discussion of these disasters
and the
political, social, and economic repercussions they brought about
has
been initiated by historians of the 17th-century crisis school,
but a
more rigorous and detailed analysis of the records in the Annals
has
great potential in stimulating further discussion and
understanding.
The Little Ice Age phenomena must be considered as one of the
major
natural catastrophes most likely caused by increased meteoric
activity
along with the natural catastrophes which occurred during the
Bronze
Age civilization, discussed at Cambridge in 1997.
The material in the Annals include detailed observations of
comets, and
other unusual astronomical phenomena(examples: "Arrow-like
tails
appeared on the stars of the Big Dipper and many stars around
it"
09/06/1525, "The stars shook and switched positions"
28/09/1602, "The
stars were all shaking" 05/23/1643), which I feel could be
excellent
material for expert's analysis. I think the records from Annals
should
be translated into English for scientists so that they may be
used to
further their understanding of the earth's environment and of
historical impact events. I believe it is the only written
material
which informs us of all the different types of phenomena during
the
Littel Ice Age catastrophe and related meteor fallings. I am
looking
for critical assessment of these documents and research support.
Tae-jin Yi
College of Humanities
Seoul National University
e-mail: tjyi@plaza.snu.ac.kr
==================
(4) UNUSUAL CELESTIAL EVENTS AND UFO MANIA
From Luigi Foschini <L.Foschini@isao.bo.cnr.it>
Dear Benny,
I have read the CCNet ESSAY of April 7th about UFOs and meteors,
posted
by Bob Kobres.
I remember that, quite recently, something curious happened in
Italy.
On February 23rd, 1999, there was the conjunction of Venus and
Jupiter.
The weather in Italy at the time was very good, with a extremely
clear
atmosphere. Therfore, the two planets appeared as two bright
stars. It
happened that a lot of people were terrified by this: they
believe that
the two planets were UFOs. People called the police, and other
public
services, and the next day newspapers carried articles on UFO
sightings. One newspaper gave this "scientific"
explanation: the two
bright planets were an artificial satellite split by the
atmospheric
refraction (sic!).
The article posted by Bob Kobres states:
> If a similar event were to occur today it might cause some
> observers who had seen the Independence Day movie to panic,
> fearing it was a UFO/ET invasion.
Yes, indeed. It's dramatically true, and not only for meteors.
Greetings,
Luigi
=================
(5) ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES BREAKING UP DUE TO DECADES OF
HIGHER TEMPERATURES
From Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca>
Office of Public Relations
University of Colorado-Boulder
354 Willard Administrative Center
Campus Box 9
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0009
(303) 492-6431
Contact:
Ted Scambos, 303-492-1113
David Vaughn, 011-44-1223-221-481
Jim Scott, 303-492-3114
April 7, 1999
ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES BREAKING UP DUE TO DECADES OF HIGHER
TEMPERATURES
Two ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula known as the Larsen B
and
Wilkins are in "full retreat" and have lost nearly
3,000 square
kilometers of their total area in the last year, say scientists
in
Colorado and the United Kingdom.
Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's National
Snow
and Ice Data Center and the British Antarctic Survey attribute
the
retreats to a regional warming trend. The trend has caused the
annual
melt season to increase by 12 days to a total of 20 days over the
last
20 years, they said.
Satellite photos monitored by NSIDC show that the Larsen B ice
shelf
has continued to crumble after an initial small retreat in spring
1998.
In a series of events that began in November 1998, an additional
1,714
square kilometers of shelf area caved away, said Research
Associate Ted
Scambos of CU-Boulder's NSIDC.
On the opposite side of the peninsula, the Wilkins Ice Shelf
retreated
nearly 1,100 square kilometers in early March of last year, said
Scambos. Scientists looking at weather satellite imagery at that
time
suspected a breakup was underway and had their suspicions
confirmed by
radar satellite images..
"The radar images showed a large area of completely
shattered ice,
indicating an ice front 35 kilometers back from its previous
extent,"
said Scambos. "The sudden appearance of thousands of small
icebergs
suggests that the shelves are essentially broken up in place and
then
flushed out by storms or currents afterward."
The British Antarctic Survey scientists had predicted one of
these
retreats, using computer models to demonstrate that the Larsen B
was
nearing its stability limit. With the small breakup observed last
spring, the shelf had already retreated too far to continue to be
supported by adjacent islands and shorelines.
Scientists at both institutes expected the two shelves to fail
soon,
but the current disintegration is occurring at an even faster
rate than
earlier breakups gave reason to anticipate.
"We have evidence that the shelves in this area have been in
retreat
for 50 years, but those losses amounted to only about 7,000
square
kilometers," said David Vaughan, a researcher with the Ice
and Climate
Division of the British Antarctic Survey. "To have retreats
totaling
3,000 square kilometers in a single year is clearly an
escalation.
Within a few years, much of the Wilkins ice shelf will likely be
gone."
Ice shelves are floating plates of ice that are still attached to
continents and which form when large glaciers flow toward the
ocean in
polar areas. Where they are supported by islands and sheltering
coastline, they can become stable, long-term features, said
Scambos.
Surface features on the Larsen B indicate that it has existed for
at
least 400 years. But as climate inches toward an average
summertime
temperature just above 0 degrees C -- the melting point of water
-- the
Larsen and Wilkins ice shelves have begun to disintegrate.
The Larsen B ice shelf is currently about 7,000 square kilometers
--
about the size of Delaware. The Wilkins ice shelf is nearly twice
that
large, Scambos said.
The British researchers, who have monitored the peninsula's
climate
warming for decades, report an increase in mean annual
temperature of
about 2.5 degrees C or roughly 4.5 degrees F since the 1940's.
Both
groups concur that ice shelf breakup is a direct result of local
climate warming.
According to Scambos, the recent warming trend has led to greater
amounts of ponding melt on the shelf, weakening it. "Melt
water at the
surface acts to increase the extent of fracturing in the
ice," he said.
"The weight of the water essentially forces the cracks open,
so a
relatively small amount of climate warming can destroy a large,
centuries-old ice shelf."
The NSIDC is part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in
Environmental Sciences, a joint venture of CU-Boulder and the
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Images of the Larsen B
and
Wilkins ice sheets are available at the following web sites:
* http://www-nsidc.colorado.edu/NSIDC/ICESHELVES/lars_wilk_news
* http://www.nerc.bas.ac.uk
* http://dude..uibc.ac.at/Projects/Larsen_Ice_Shelf
======================
(6) MARTIAN VOLATILE EVOLUTION, CLIMATE CHANGE &
EXOBIOLOGICAL
IMPLICATIONS
B.M. Jakosky: Martian stable isotopes: Volatile evolution,
climate
change and exobiological implications. ORIGINS OF LIFE AND
EVOLUTION OF
THE BIOSPHERE, 1999, Vol.29, No.1, pp.47-57
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO,ATMOSPHER & SPACE PHYS LAB,CAMPUS BOX
392,BOULDER,CO,80309
Measurements of the ratios of stable isotopes in the martian
atmosphere
and crust provide fundamental information about the evolution of
the
martian volatile and climate system. Current best estimates of
the
isotope ratios indicate that there has been substantial loss of
gases
to space and exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the
crust
throughout geologic time; exchange may have occurred through
circulation of water in hydrothermal systems. Processes of
volatile
evolution and exchange will fractionate the isotopes in a manner
that
complicates the possible interpretation of isotopic data in terms
of
any fractionation that may have been caused by martian biota, and
must
be understood first. Key measurements are suggested that will
enhance
our understanding of the non-biological fractionation of the
isotopes
and of the evolution of the martian volatile system. Copyright
1999,
Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
=====================
(7) A SIMPLE CHONDRITIC MODEL OF MARS
C. Sanloup*), A. Jambon, P. Gillet: A simple chondritic model of
Mars.
PHYSICS OF THE EARTH AND PLANETARY INTERIORS, 1999, Vol.112,
No.1-2,
pp.43-54
*) ECOLE NORMALE SUPER LYON,LAB SCI TERRE,46 ALLEE ITALIE,F-69364
LYON 07,FRANCE
SNC meteorites (Shergottites, Nakhlites and Chassigny) define a
fractionation line in a delta(17)O/delta(18)O diagram as expected
for
rocks differentiated from a formerly homogenized parent body,
which is
intermediate between H ordinary chondrites and EH enstatite
chondrites.
The planet Mars is located between the Earth and the asteroid
belts,
the potential source of ordinary chondrites. Since oxygen is a
major
component of the terrestrial planets, our model assumes that Mars
composition is a mixture of two chondritic sources whose
proportions
are calculated by mass balance based on oxygen isotopes only. Two
possible model compositions can be derived: if the average
isotopic
composition of SNC is relaxed along its fractionation Line (Model
1)
and if the end members are average H and EH chondrites, one
obtains a
30:70 H:EH mixture. If the average isotopic composition of SNC is
a
robust feature, then an extreme composition of H chondrites must
be
selected which yields the proportion, 55:45 for the H:EH
components.
This composition carries the same oxygen isotopic composition as
the
iron inclusions in the IIE of the conjectured end member of the
ordinary chondrite group. The proportions obtained this way
enable to
calculate two model compositions for all the refractory elements
and
oxygen. Model 1 can be discarded as it does not permit to fit
reasonably the physical properties of the planet. Mass and
composition
of the core (Model 2) is easily derived (23% of Mars mass,
containing
16% S); the remainder forming the bulk mantle composition.
Comparison
with recent estimates based on the composition of SNC meteorites
reveals only minor differences, essentially for Si, Mg and Fe;
this is
because of our choice of non-CI chondritic composition, unlike
previous
models. Discussion of the assumptions made in previous models
confirms
that the new composition is in agreement with the SNC
compositions. The
model also permits to calculate adequate physical properties of
the
planet like its zero pressure mantle density, density profile
with
depth and dimensionless moment of inertia. The superiority of the
present model resides in the minimal number of necessary
hypotheses and
the possibility to test it, using physical and chemical data
about the
planet: as far as we know of, all constraints can be satisfied
within
the errors of the measurements or uncertainty of the model. The
Fe
abundance and the low Mg/Si ratio imply that pyroxenes and garnet
at
depth will play a major role in the differentiation of the
planet, a
feature which differs markedly from the terrestrial mantle. (C)
1999
Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
=================
(8) TRACE ELEMENT MICROANALYSIS IN IRON METEORITES
A.J. Campbell*), M. Humayun: Trace element microanalysis in iron
meteorites by laser ablation ICPMS. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, 1999,
Vol.71,
No.5, pp.939-946
*) UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO,DEPT GEOPHYS SCI,5734 S ELLIS
AVE,CHICAGO,IL,60637
A laser ablation microanalysis system has been developed that can
analyze trace elements with a sensitivity in time ppb range,
using a
CETAC LSX-200 laser ablation system with a Finnigan Element. This
capability has been applied to a set of iron meteorites to
demonstrate
the laser microprobe's analytical capability for the
determination of
platinum group elements (PGEs) with a spatial resolution of
similar to
20 mu m, comparable to that of dynamic secondary ion mass
spectrometry
(SIMS). The laser is shown to provide an accurate means of solid
sampling for magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma mass
spectrometry (ICPMS), allowing the determination of bulk metal
composition, chemical zoning within the sample, and depth
profiling.
Recovery of the chemical zoning in taenite lamellae was achieved
for
Ru, Rh, and Pd, which was not previously possible using SIMS, The
methods presented here show that magnetic sector ICPMS can be
successfully coupled to a laser ablation system, providing the
advantages of higher sensitivity of the sector instrument, low
background count rates (<0.1 counts/s), and flat-topped
spectral peaks,
while minimizing tradeoff against the speed of data acquisition
required to handle the transient signals from the laser ablation
system. Copyright 1999, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
----------------------------------------
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