[meteorite-list] Geminids on Toutatis?

[Chris Peterson]

At just a few kilometers across, Toutatis is extremely unlikely to 
experience any Geminid impacts. Furthermore, is isn't optically 
resolved, so the light of any impact would be lost in the much greater 
light of the reflected Sun (Toutatis has the same albedo as the Moon, 
and we can only see meteoroid impacts on the unlit section of the Moon- 
possible because we can actually resolve just that part of it).

Chris

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

On 12/13/2012 9:26 AM, Francis Graham wrote:
> Hello
>     I am not familiar with the imaging devices on Chang e 2 as it heads
> for Toutatis.  But the Geminids are here, and flashes of meteor
> impacts from showers have been recorded as they happen on the Moon.
> Presumably, some Geminid impacts might happen also on Toutatis during
> the Chang-e 2 encounter--not too likely, but not so improbable as to
> be discounted.  Pushbroom imaging systems would probably miss it
> though...well, maybe. Something  I suppose to look for, but not hope
> for.
>
> Francis Graham