Anthony Zuppero, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory zca@inel.gov by day, zuppero@srv.net by night 208 526 5382 208 525 8682
The distribution falls too precipitously at Mars and inward.
We ought to see comets inside Mars, unless Mars and/or Earth are herding them, just as we see Jupiter doing to them.
Perhaps the "hole" is a whole formation of herded comets, but we don't see them because they are herded into a place where it is too hot. The hole might be evaporated comets, which look like near earth asteroids.
Perhaps this is the source of the Lou Frank Objects.
We ought to see comets just past Jupiter. At the orbit of Jupiter, the change in brightness of a comet does not change that much between 4 and 6 A.U. But the density changes sharply.
The inner planets gravity changes the orbits with high cross section, but collide with low cross section.
...as of 4 june 97
| Element | Haley dust | +/- |
| H | 2025.00 | 385.00 |
| C | 815.00 | 165.00 |
| N | 42.00 | 14.00 |
| O | 890.00 | 110.00 |
| Na | 10.00 | 6.00 |
| Mg | 100.00 | |
| Al | 6.80 | 1.70 |
| Si | 185.00 | 19.00 |
| S | 72.00 | 23.00 |
| K | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| Ca | 6.30 | 1.90 |
| Ti | 0.40 | 0.20 |
| Cr | 0.90 | 0.20 |
| Mn | 0.50 | 0.20 |
| Fe | 52.00 | 9.00 |
| Co | 0.30 | 0.20 |
| Ni | 4.10 | 2.10 |
The water ice sublimes on the surface and a very fluffy structure of grains remains. The grains themselves may be of the core - mantle type, whtih tiny cores of silicates, similar to chondritic materials in composition. The retio fo refractory to volatile material seems higher than previously assued. The frefractory material may even dominate ofer the icy component by mass.The observed fluffiness and low density, even of small grains, supports the idea that the small-scale structure of the nucleus is based on the dust particles and not on the ice. It is not an agglomeration of dirty slowflakes but rather a porous matrix of refractory material, the pores and surfaces fo which are covered with water ice. The dust matrix is so porous that the addition of water ice may even increast eh average specific density.
A 3 meter object with this albedo will be excpetionally difficult to spot. Even just before it hits the non-sensible atmosphere at 600 km, it will be like trying to spot a chunk of black soot the size of a truck at night, 500 miles away.
However, if the object is dehydrated and fluffy, its density will be an order of magnitude lower. It could weigh less than a ton.
No pressure builds up to slow the thing down at 600 km altitude. the
The one-atom-at-a-time erosion deposits the energy into the comet foof target, unlike the case where it finally gets into the atmosphere and pressure builds up to slow the particles down.
The sky is black to UV, so we won't see most of the flash.
If it hit the surface of the moon, the flash would be over in the time it takes to hit the moon, under miliseconds.
The carbons also act energetic. They will make CO, but not much CO2. The atoms have too much energy. They will be splitting atmospheric Oxygen. We will get huge quantities of ozone, O3, because of all that atomic oxygen. in the atmosphere. The atmospheric Nitrogens
Huebner, Walter F. (Ed.), "Physics and Chemistry
of Comets," (Astronomy and Physics Library) Springer-Verlag, New York,
1990, ISBN 3-540-51288-4 and ISBN 0-387-51228-4 Springer-Verlag New York,
from chapter by Eberhard Grun and Elmar K Jessberger on "Dust", page
168
H. Uwe Keller, page 68,of Huebner's book section "2.7.2 Composition and Structure"
as of Sunday 2 pm, 8 june 97
