1. |
- Shein, K.A., et al.
(author)
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State of the Climate in 2005
- 2006
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In: Bulletin of American Meteorological Society. ; 87:6, s. 1-102
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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2. |
- Ortiz, J.L., et al.
(author)
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Detection of sporadic impact flashes on the Moon : Implications for the luminous efficiency of hypervelocity impacts and derived terrestrial impact rates
- 2006
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In: Icarus. - : Elsevier BV. - 0019-1035 .- 1090-2643. ; 184:2, s. 319-326
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the first redundant detection of sporadic impact flashes on the Moon from a systematic survey performed between 2001 and 2004. Our wide-field lunar monitoring allows us to estimate the impact rate of large meteoroids on the Moon as a function of the luminous energy received on Earth. It also shows that some historical well-documented mysterious lunar events fit in a clear impact context. Using these data and traditional values of the luminous efficiency for this kind of event we obtain that the impact rate on Earth of large meteoroids (0.1–10 m) would be at least one order of magnitude larger than currently thought. This discrepancy indicates that the luminous efficiency of the hypervelocity impacts is higher than 10−2, much larger than the common belief, or the latest impact fluxes are somewhat too low, or, most likely, a combination of both. Our nominal analysis implies that on Earth, collisions of bodies with masses larger than 1 kg can be as frequent as 80,000 per year and blasts larger than 15-kton could be as frequent as one per year, but this is highly dependent on the exact choice of the luminous efficiency value. As a direct application of our results, we expect that the impact flash of the SMART-1 spacecraft should be detectable from Earth with medium-sized telescopes.
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3. |
- Blum, J., et al.
(author)
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The physics of protoplanetesimal dust agglomerates : I. Mechanical properties and relations to primitive bodies in the solar system
- 2006
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 652:2, s. 1768-1781
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present laboratory experiments on the formation of macroscopic dust aggregates. The centimeter-sized highly porous bodies are produced by random ballistic deposition from individual micrometer-sized dust particles. We find packing densities between 0.07 and 0.15 for uncompressed samples, dependent on the shape and size distribution of the constituent dust grains. Impacts into these bodies are simulated by uniaxial compression experiments. We find that the maximum compression, equivalent to the highest protoplanetary impact velocities of similar to 50ms(-1), increases the packing density to 0.20-0.33. Tensile strength measurements with our laboratory samples yield values in the range 200-1100 Pa for slightly compressed samples. We review packing densities and tensile strengths found for primitive solar system bodies, e. g., for comets, primitive meteorites, and meteoroids. We find a consistency between packing densities and tensile strengths of our laboratory samples with those from cometary origin.
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5. |
- Trigo-Rodriguez, J. M., et al.
(author)
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Outburst activity in comets - I. Continuous monitoring of comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1
- 2008
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 485:2, s. 599-606
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims. We carried out a continuous monitoring of comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 by using medium aperture telescopes with the aim of studying the activity and outburst mechanisms of this comet on the basis of photometric variations. Methods. We used a standardized method to obtain the coma photometry in the R filter of the Johnson-Kron-Cousins system. Some abrupt changes observed in the brightness of SW1 suggest important variations in surface activity with time. Results. During our 2002-2007 observational campaign we detected 28 outbursts (of 1 mag or larger) in 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1. A typical outburst is characterized by a rapid increase towards maximum (in a few hours) and a slower decrease toward the quiescent level (in 3-4 days). Given the effective observing time, the average outburst rate is 7.3 events per year. Despite well-sampled data, no signs of a clear periodicity in the outburst occurrence has been found, thus confirming the unpredictability of the activity of this comet.
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