Meteors, NEOs, & PHOs

AS3141 Benda Kecil dalam Tata Surya

Prodi Astronomi 2007/2008
Budi Dermawan
Meteor Shower
 Meteoroids Swarm & Size

When a comet approaches perihelion, sublimation of

the nucleus liberates particles trapped in ice of which
it is formed
a swarm
When the Earth encounters such a swarm it
intercepts the particles, the more the closer it passes
to the orbit of the comet itself
Size radius: a few tenth mm a few cm
Samples
Ries 2004
 NEOs &
Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs)
Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs)
 NEAs Orbital Plots

Morbidelli et al. 2002

Physical Properties of NEAs (1)
 Physical Properties of NEAs (2)
Amplitudes & Rotation Rates Binzel et al. 2002

Binzel et al. 2002

Taxonomy
 Spectral Properties

25 years ago only 1862

Apollo have spectral
properties resembling
ordinary-chondrite
meteorites
At presents about 20%
NEOs provide a
plausible match to
ordinary chondrites

Binzel et al. 2002

 Continuous Distribution of Spectral Properties
(S-type Meteorites)
A size-dependent trend:
smaller NEOs have (on
average) younger and
fresher surfaces that
have not been subjected
to possible space-
weathering effects

Binzel et al. 2002

Their spectral properties are most likely to resemble

those for meteorites measured in the laboratory
Ries 2004
Ries 2004
Ries 2004
Ries 2004
Hazardous Objects

Comets
Asteroids
(PHAs)
 Impacts
Relative cross-section
of the Earth: ~110-9
Increased by
gravitational attraction
With ~1000 km-sized
NEAs, we expect one
or two impacts each
million years
Ries 2004
 New Yorker
Cartoons
Ries 2004
 The Great Chicxulub Impact 65 Myr Ago

Globally Catastrophic Impact

End of Cretaceous period
Ries 2004
 The Bedout Impact 250 Myr Ago
Offshore of
north-western
Australia

Becker et al. 2004

Globally Catastrophic Impact

End of Permian period
Impact Tsunami:
Asteroid Eltanin
 Impact Tsunami: Asteroid 1950DA (1)

Ward & Asphaug 2003

Ward & Asphaug 2003

Impact Tsunami: Asteroid 1950DA (2)
 Destruction & Fatalities

Source: John Pike

Impact Hazard Scale
PR
The Palermo Scale

Chesley et al. 2002

 99942 Apophis (2004 MN4)
It would get worse, based on telescopic observations on succeeding
nights:
from 1 chance in 200 on Dec. 22, it would go:
to 1 chance in 170 on Dec. 23,
to 1 chance in 60 on Dec. 24 ( TS=4!),
to 1 chance in 40 on Christmas Day, Dec. 25,
to 1 chance in 37 on Dec. 27, and based on the next nights data --
would have gone
to 1 chance in 20 on Dec. 28, except that:
On Dec. 27th, an against-the-odds search for pre-discovery observations
of MN4 had an unexpected success:
Marginal, missed, faint images were found on CCD images from the
Spacewatch telescope on March 15th
We now knew (or did we???): 2004 MN4 would surely miss the Earth
in 2029
 New Yorker

Preventing Impacts
Survey and discovery of
NEOs
Accurate orbit determination
Composition and gross
properties
Coordination of astronomical
observations
Studies of impacts and
environmental and social
effects
Mitigation possibilities
 PHOs Summary

Asteroid impacts: rare example of hazard.

Low probability but high consequences
Monitoring observations will significantly
improve their encounter distances
Aware of the efforts supported and operated
by international basis for lowering the impact
risks
The End

NASA
Geologic Timescale