PLEASE NOTE:
*
CCNet DIGEST, 29 June 1998
--------------------------
"New observations of England vs
Columbia have allowed us to
refine the orbit of Michael Owen and Sol
Campbell, two new
rapidly moving objects, which increase
the likelihood that the
Peiser calculation may be more accurate
than we realize"
(Quote of the day by Gerrit Verschuur)
(1) METEOR OUTBURST ALERT
Jim Bedient <wh6ef@pixi.com>
(2) HIGH METEOR ACTIVITY
Bev M Ewen-Smith <coaa@mail.telepac.pt>
(3) JUNE METEORITES, METEOR STORMS & IMPACT EVENTS
Bernd Pauli <bernd.pauli@lehrer1.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>
(4) THERE'S OIL ON THEM ASTEROIDS (& 50 million six-packs of
beer...)
Duncan Steel <dis@a011.aone.net.au>
(5) ELECTROPHONIC FIREBALLS IN HISTORY
Duncan Steel <dis@a011.aone.net.au>
(6) EROTIC PREPRINT
Paolo Farinella <paolof@keplero.dm.unipi.it>
(7) CONFERENCE ON DUST AEROSOLS, LOESS, AND GLOBAL CHANGE
Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
(8) PANNEN, TIPLER & THE ULTIMATE QUESTION IN COSMOLOGY
Gene Milone <milone@acs.ucalgary.ca>
==================
(1) METEOR OUTBURST ALERT
From Jim Bedient <wh6ef@pixi.com>
June 28, 21h UT
IAU -C22 PRO-AMAT WORKING GROUP CIRCULAR
==========================================
OUTBURST ALERT - JUNE 27/28
A meteor outburst was first detected by Japanese observers on 9h
UT
June 27th, from an increase of meteor rates by radio-forward
meteor
scatter signals (K. Suzuki, M. Ueda: 3-5 times above normal
rates),
with confirmation from visual observers. Raw rates of up to 50
meteors/hr were observed in the early evening (indirect reports
via M.
Takanashi and M. Koseki - NMS). Italian observers Roberto Haver,
Enrico
Stomeo and Roberto Gorelli (UAI- Sezione Meteore) observed the
same
outburst between 21:20 June 27 and 01:30 UT June 28, with Zenith
Hourly
Rates above 100. The shower was also reported from Portugal,
where
astronomer Derek Penn counted 27 outburst meteors in 15 minutes.
The
sighting is confirmed from California, where observers noticed
the
meteors on June 28 around 5h UT.
This shower ** may still be detectable ** in the night of June
28/29
and later and further observations should be attempted by both
professional and amateur observers. Of special interest is any
low-level activity that continues for some time. Please inform
the
usual channels of your observations.
The radiant has been placed near RA=224o, DEC=+50o by the Italian
observers and others agree with this general location. The shower
is
visible throughout the night, and highest in the early evening
hours.
The Moon will be hardly interfering, except perhaps in the first
hour(s) of the night.
Radiant and time of year suggest that this is another
manifestation of
the June Bootids, which were detected by W.F. Denning in 1916.
However,
that event has been associated with comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke and
the
comet now has a decending node at 1.26 AU from the Sun, while the
minimum distance between Earth and comet orbit during passage of
the
orbital plane is on June 25.15 (UT) at 0.244 AU. An unlikely
large
distance for meteor outburst activity, as was pointed out by
Peter Bus
(DMS).
An alert has gone out also on IAU Circular 6954 (June
27).
The following have expressed an interest in any information on
this
event (please inform us if this list be extended):
E. Stomeo, Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore (stom@iol.it)
CP 654 - Venezia 30100, Italy
P. Jenniskens/NASA-ARC (peter@max.arc.nasa.gov)
Mail Stop 239-4 Moffett Field, CA
94035-1000, USA
Peter Jenniskens
President IAU C-22 Pro-Amat Working Group
===================
(2) HIGH METEOR ACTIVITY
From Bev M Ewen-Smith <coaa@mail.telepac.pt>
From southern Portugal.
Saturday night 1998 June 27. 21:30 - 00:30
We were doing routine observations under a clear dark sky and
became
aware of a high level of meteor activity. One of the
astronomers
(Derek Penn) spent half an hour counting (single observer,
limited
field of view due trees) and counted 27 in fifteen minutes.
There were
so many (and many bright ones) that there were frequently two at
once
(or seemed so). The frequency made it a simple matter to identify
the
radiant as being at the top end of Bootes (furthest from
Arcturus) or
perhaps a tiny bit on the Corona B side or the eta-Uma side of
that
point. Certainly, they far, far outnumbered sporadics, if
that gives a
measure. The level began high as soon as it got dark and
was still
performing splendidly when we packed up a little after 1 am local
time.
Unfortunately, nobody had the wit to suggest photographing the
area of
the radiant to clinch it. Perhaps we'll try again tonight
if it's
still going.
Certainly a very fine display indeed and at least comparable to
the
special Perseids of a few years ago.
Bev
Bev M Ewen-Smith - C O A A
Centro de Observacao Astronomica no Algarve, Poio, 8500 Portimao,
Portugal
<><
N 37 11 29.1 W 008 35
57.1
<><
Tel:082 471180 Intl:00 351 82 471180 Fax:082 471516 Intl:00
351 82 471516
Email:coaa@mail.telepac.pt
WWW http://www.faro.ip.pt/algnet/coaa/
========================
(3) JUNE METEORITES, METEOR STORMS & IMPACT EVENTS
From Bernd Pauli <bernd.pauli@lehrer1.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>
OBERST J. (1989) Possible relationship between the Farmington
meteorite
and a seismically detected swarm of meteoroids impacting the Moon
(Meteoritics 24-1, 1989, pp. 23-28):
Abstract - The Farmington ordinary L5 chondrite with its uniquely
short
cosmic-ray exposure age of less than 25 000 years may have been a
member of a large meteoroid swarm which was detected by the
Apollo
seismic network when it encountered the Moon in June 1975. The
association implies that the parent body of the Farmington
meteorite
was in an Earth-crossing orbit at the time the swarm was
formed. This
supports the idea that at least some meteorites are derived from
the
observable population of Earth-crossing asteroids.
Geocentric radiant of the Farmington meteorite / Geocentric
radiants,
all in degree
Event - Encounter time - Right ascension - Declination - Ecliptic
longitude - Reference
Farmington - June 25, 1890 - 87 (88,88,89) / 2
(6, 8, 9) - 86
(88,88,89) - Levin et al. (1976)
Farmington - June 25, 1890 - 81 (83,84,84) /- 18 (-11,-8,-7) - 79
(82,83,84) - Sekanina (1983)
Oberst computed the geocentric radiants for a range of possible
atmospheric entry speeds of 13 km/s and, in brackets, 16, 19, and
22
km/s, suggested for the Farmington meteorite (Levin et al.,
1976).
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The fall time, the radiant and the exceptionally young cosmic-ray
exposure age of Farmington suggest that this meteorite was a
member of
the large meteoroid swarm that was detected by the lunar seismic
network in June 1975. While the possibility that the Tunguska
object
was another member of this swarm deserves further investigation,
the
previously suggested associations of the lunar impacts with the
Taurid
meteor complex and comet Encke or the postulated lunar impact
event of
1178 appear unlikely. This suggested association implies that the
orbits of Farmington and the other swarm members experienced very
little perturbation after their separation from their parent body
or
after the parent body disrupted. Thus, it is most likely that the
parent body was in an Earth-crossing orbit at the time the swarm
formed. This further supports the idea that some of the
meteorites in
our collections are derived from the observable population
of
A p o l l o and A m o r objects (Levin et al.,
1976;Wetherill.
1976). If asteroid surveys can locate other large fragments or
even the
parent body in the orbit of the Farmington meteorite, this would
provide an interesting link between laboratory studies of
meteorites
and the astronomical studies of minor planets in the solar
system,
their presumed parent bodies. If such an object can be found and
can be
studied, it would be important to verify that its reflectance
spectrum
is identical to the laboratory spectrum of Farmington. Perhaps,
close
examination of the object could provide clues to some of the
unresolved
mysteries involving the origin of ordinary chondrites, the origin
of
Earth-crossing asteroids and the role of these asteroids for the
delivery of meteorites to Earth. Certain Earth-approaching
asteroids
indeed show reflectance spectra similar to those of ordinary
chondrites
in laboratories (McFadden et al., 1985). However, why don't
we see any
such asteroids in the main belt, the suggested source location of
this
meteorite class?
Some more pertinent references:
BUSECK P.R., MASON B. and WIIK H.B. (1966) The Farmington
meteorite
(Mineralogy and chemistry (GCA 30, 1-8).
DE FELICE J., FAZIO G.G. and FIREMAN E.L. (1963) Cosmic-ray
exposure
age of the Farmington meteorite from radioactive isotopes
(Science 142,
673-674).
GALIBINA I.V., SIMONENKO A.N. and LEVIN B.Y. (1979) The last
parent
body of the Farmington meteorite remains undiscovered (Sov.
Astron.
Lett. 5, 223-225).
Best wishes, Bernd
====================
(4) THERE'S OIL ON THEM ASTEROIDS (& 50 million six-packs of
beer...)
From Duncan Steel <dis@a011.aone.net.au>
Dear Benny,
I expect that when it is released (premier tomorrow), the
movie
'Armageddon' will provoke a storm of messages regarding its
scientific
veracity. I'm getting in first with a tongue-in-cheek examination
of
the appropriateness (or otherwise) of sending oilmen to tackle
it.
If the behemoth rock were a rocky (or even metallic) asteroid
derived
from the main belt, then one might expect it to have a coating of
reddish material. Going outwards in the solar system, there is an
increasing tendency for the surfaces of small interplanetary
bodies to
be dark and red (e.g., see Owen et al., Advances in Space
Research, 16,
41, 1995), and the outermost main belt asteroids are redder than
the
innermost. This material is believed by many to be heavy
organics/hydrocarbons. I would interpret this trend as being due
to
there being a larger fraction of organic content in small
meteoroids
and dust at larger heliocentric distances, and the lower impact
speeds
onto asteroids at those distances make survival of those organics
more
likely. The dark red coloration therefore would represent a
surface
layer, hence my statement in the first sentence of this
paragraph.
[As an aside I note that the asymmetry in albedo and colour of
the
leading/trailing hemispheres of the tidally-locked Saturnian moon
Iapetus, noted by Cassini but made famous by Arthur C. Clarke
through
'2001: A Space Odyssey', has been suggested as originating in
this way,
although an alternative suggestion has been the accumulation of
debris
from the exterior retrograde moon Phoebe.]
On the other hand, if the offending asteroid were actually an
extinct
or moribund cometary nucleus, then again a surface layer of heavy
organics/hydrocarbons might be anticipated. Under solar
heating the
surface loses its more volatile component, leaving behind
silicates and
the refractory-volatiles (kerogens etc.) which may form a
temporary
insulating crust (as did 4015 Wilson-Harrington in 1949?) which
might
later be broken (as happened to 2P/Encke in 1786?) in the case of
a
dormant comet, or a totally-devolatilized core in the case of an
extinct comet (various candidates amongst the known
Earth-crossing
asteroids).
There are three possibilities then:
(1) Main-belt derived asteroid:
Hydrocarbons on the surface, rock or metal
below
(2) Dormant comet:
Hydrocarbons on the surface, ices below
including water and
solidified natural gas (methane, ethane,
propane, butane...).
(3) Extinct comet:
Hydrocarbons on the surface, but gross
composition is
quasi-homogenous.
From the perspective of the oilman, in none of the three cases is
there
anything to gain from drilling into the object. The
hydrocarbons are
on the surface. Just scoop them up.
There is an exception from the oilman's perspective, however.
Imagine
that the object is a dormant cometary core just 2 km in size (far
from
the size of Texas). Amongst the organic chemicals which one would
expect to be present in a cometary core is ethanol. If the
core
contains one part in a million by mass of ethanol, then there's
as much
alcohol as in 50 million six-packs of beer. Ready-chilled,
too.
Cheers,
Duncan Steel
========================
(5) ELECTROPHONIC FIREBALLS IN HISTORY
From Duncan Steel <dis@a011.aone.net.au>
Dear Benny,
I was pleased to see Colin Keay's statement regarding his
important
work in elucidating the reality and origin of electrophonic
sounds
produced by bright fireballs. In his modesty, he did not mention
his
recent review on this subject:
C.S.L. Keay, 'Continued progress in electrophonic fireball
investigations',
Earth, Moon & Planets, 68, 361-368 (1995).
This I mention because it might be of particular interest to
readers of
the CC Digest; the final sentence of his abstract reads:
"Geophysical electrophonic phenomena may explain many
baffling reports
from ancient historical writings."
Note also that the ancients might have been more likely to have
heard
electrophonic phenomena (independent of the occurrence rate)
because
they tended to have longer hair and wear headgear, although their
lack
of spectacles would have had a negative effect! I jest not: Keay
has
shown that having opportunistic transducers around the head
greatly
enhances the likelihood of hearing electrophonic sounds. I
have myself
interviewed a policeman (hence short hair) who heard an
electrophonic
fireball whilst his colleague stood a few metres away did not,
apparently because the former was wearing a helmet whilst the
latter
was hat-less.
Regards,
Duncan Steel
===================
(6) EROTIC PREPRINT
From Paolo Farinella <paolof@keplero.dm.unipi.it>
Dear colleagues,
you can find a ps file for the paper "Dynamics of
Eros", by P. Michel,
Ch. Froeschle' and myself, accepted for publication by the AJ, on
my
website at:
http://tycho.dm.unipi.it/~paolof/preplist.html
It's a fairly big file, so if you have problems in downloading it
let
me know and we will send you a hard copy. Best regards,
Paolo
=============================
(7) CONFERENCE ON DUST AEROSOLS, LOESS, AND GLOBAL CHANGE
From Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
FYI:
QUATERNARY RESEARCH 49, 335 (1998)
ARTICLE NO. QR981981
ANNOUNCEMENT
Dust Aerosols, Loess, and Global Change
Battelle Conference Center, Seattle, Washington, October 813,
1998
An interdisciplinary conference and field tour on dust in ancient
environments and contemporary environmental management will
comprise a
field tour, October 811, 1998, and a conference, October 1113,
1998.
Preconference field tour. A three-day excursion will traverse the
dryland farming region of the Columbia Plateau in eastern
Washington;
explore the Palouse loess deposits; and cross the famous
Channeled
Scabland, site of the largest glacial outburst floods in earth
history.
Dual themes will be: (1) intensively instrumented wind erosion
research
sites, and (2) classic exposures of the Palouse loess, paleosols,
cycles of dust deposition. A winery tour and tasting will be
included.
Conference. Quaternary geologists, soil scientists, agricultural
engineers, agronomists, air quality specialists, environmental
scientists, climatologists and paleoclimatologists, and land
managers,
as well as students in agriculture, environmental sciences, and
geology, will find this event of interest. Proposed conference
topics
include Climatic events and other drivers of loess depositional
cycles
during the Quaternary Period
Comparisons of modern and ancient dust transport and deposition
in
mid-latitude areas
Dustfall magnitude into ice-age oceans and wind trajectories
Sub-Milankovitch millennium- and century-scale dust events and
their
linkages and causes
Possible role of dust aerosols as a feedback in last-glacial
climate
change Natural and anthropogenic sources, transport mechanisms,
and
deposition of dust aerosols today and impacts on urban air
quality,
human health, and the global environment
Measurement, prediction, transport modeling, and control of wind
erosion from agricul-tural and natural areas
For further information, please contact:
Alan Busacca
Crop and Soil Sciences, Geology
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6420
Telephone: (509) 335-1859
E-mail: busacca@wsu.edu
Web page: http://www.eus.wsu.edu/cei/programs/dust.htm
Fax: (509) 335-8674
Copyright 1998 by the University of Washington. All rights
of
reproduction in any form reserved.
========================
(8) PANNEN, TIPLER & THE ULTIMATE QUESTION IN COSMOLOGY
From Gene Milone <milone@acs.ucalgary.ca>
Benny, did you know that 'Pannenberg' means 'blow-out mountain'?
'Tipler' would seem to be a fine name associated with 'wine',
unfortunately, I do not have my Luther bible here in the office
to
check the phrase he attributes to Luther from Exodus, but I think
that
there is probably a more apt phrase corresponding to 'I am that I
am'.
More likely than 'Wein' for instance, would be 'Wien', although
the
translation would then be more likely to come from Johann
Strauss,
many have commented on the divine nature of Vienna...
Regards, - gene
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