[meteorite-list] Temperature of meteorites

[Chris Peterson]

I'm not saying that every report is untrustworthy, nor am I saying there 
aren't a wide range of actual temperatures. I'm just saying that witness 
reports are almost always the least reliable source of accurate information, 
and should therefore always be viewed skeptically. Given a long list of 
reports, I'd expect most to be of low accuracy.

Meteoroids in space can easily be too hot to comfortably touch; assuming the 
Kilbourn was initially large, and the recovered piece was hypersonic to a 
low altitude (perhaps 10-15 km), I can easily believe it was hot when it 
landed (although I doubt it was actually warm for three hours). As I noted 
previously, I don't think there is any such thing as a typical meteorite 
temperature. While most will probably be not far from ambient, many will 
still range from below freezing to uncomfortably warm.

The wide range of actual temperatures, combined with the many variables that 
influence perception of temperature, are what create the very different 
reports we have about falls.

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dark Matter" <freequarks at gmail.com>
To: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>
Cc: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Temperature of meteorites


> Hi Chris,
>
> While I understand your argument, it is just hard to reconcile with 
> reports
> such as this:
>
> Mr. Gaffney picked up the stone, but found it so warm he could hold it 
> only
> for a second or so. It remained warm nearly three hours. When first picked
> up it had a straw color on its surface, but gradually assumed a black
> color.
>
> This excerpt is about the Kilbourn meteorite, a beautiful teardrop 
> oriented
> barn hammerer. Here is my Accretion Desk article on Kilbourn:
>
> http://www.meteorite-times.com/Back_Links/2008/july/Accretion_Desk.htm
>
> There is a big difference between perceiving something as warm and being 
> too
> hot to touch. Further, the color change is an interesting connection. 
> Bernd,
> are there any other references you know of where a freshly fallen 
> meteorite
> changed color?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Martin