[meteorite-list] Questions regarding Unclassified meteorite sales

[Michael Farmer]

That is correct, we only have the orbits for a few meteorite falls, and they 
must be filmed and photographed to obtain orbit.
Mike
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 9:15 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Questions regarding Unclassified meteorite 
sales


> You can't determine anything about orbits from strewn fields, even knowing 
> the date and time of the fall. Except in rare cases (such as Sikhote-Alin) 
> where the body retains cosmic velocity to, or nearly to, the ground, the 
> direction of strewn fields are determined solely by aerodynamics- mostly 
> by the atmospheric wind profile. A meteoroid entering from east to west 
> can easily produce a strewn field extending from west to east (or north to 
> south, or any other orientation).
>
> Chris
>
> *****************************************
> Chris L Peterson
> Cloudbait Observatory
> http://www.cloudbait.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Darren Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net>
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 9:10 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Questions regarding Unclassified meteorite 
> sales
>
>
> I tend to disagree with most of your points here.  With fossils and human 
> artifacts, the context and
> stratigraphy and associated artifacts are highly important to 
> understanding the fossil or artifact.
> But with a meteorite, where it landed and when it was found and who found 
> it and the size of the
> original chunk are very superficial matters.  It would be interesting to 
> be able to determine the
> orbit of the original fragment, but (and correct me if I'm wrong) to 
> deduct orbits from the
> shape/directon of strewn feilds, don't you need to know WHEN it hit? 
> Wouldn't you need to know what
> time of day, and what day of the year before you could use that strewn 
> feild data to get the orbit?
>
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