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At least 1,441 records · Page 80Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Origin of asteroid rotation rates in catastrophic impacts.

The rotation rates of asteroids, which are deduced from periodic fluctuations in their brightnesses, are controlled by mutual collisions. The link between asteroid spin and collision history is usually made with reference to impact experiments on centimetre-scale targets, where material strength governs the impact response. Recent work, however, indicates that for objects of the size of most observed asteroids (> or = 1 km in diameter), gravity rather than intrinsic strength controls the dynamic response to collisions. Here we explore this idea by modelling the effect of impacts on large gravitating bodies. We find that the fraction of a projectile's angular momentum that is retained by a target asteroid is both lower and more variable than expected from laboratory experiments, with spin evolution being dominated by 'catastrophic' collisions that eject approximately 50 per cent of the target's mass. The remnant of an initially non-rotating silicate asteroid that suffers such a collision rotates at a rate of approximately 2.9 per day, which is close to the observed mean asteroid rotation rate of approximately 2.5 d-1. Moreover, our calculations suggest that the observed trend in the mean spin frequency for different classes of asteroids (2.2 d-1 for C-type asteroids, 2.5 d-1 for S-type, and 4.0 d-1 for M-type) is due to increasing mean density, rather than increasing material strength.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1997

Detection of ozone on Saturn's satellites Rhea and Dione.

The satellites Rhea and Dione orbit within the magnetosphere of Saturn, where they are exposed to particle irradiation from trapped ions. A similar situation applies to the galilean moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, which reside within Jupiter's radiation belts. All of these satellites have surfaces rich in water ice. Laboratory studies of the interaction of charged-particle radiation with water ice predicted the tenuous oxygen atmospheres recently found on Europa and Ganymede. However, theoretical investigations did not anticipate the trapping of significantly larger quantities of O2 within the surface ice. The accumulation of detectable abundances of O3, produced by the action of ultraviolet or charged-particle radiation on O2, was also not predicted before being observed on Ganymede. Here we report the identification of O3 in spectra of the saturnian satellites Rhea and Dione. The presence of trapped O3 is thus no longer unique to Ganymede, suggesting that special circumstances may not be required for its production.

Extraterrestrial Environment↗
PubMed1997

A high deuterium abundance at redshift z = 0.7.

Of the light elements, the primordial abundance of deuterium relative to hydrogen, (D/H)p, provides the most sensitive diagnostic for the cosmological mass density parameter, omegaB. Recent high-redshift D/H measurements are highly discrepant, although this may reflect observational uncertainties. The larger primordial D/H values imply a low omegaB (requiring the Universe to be dominated by non-baryonic matter), and cause problems for galactic chemical evolution models, which have difficulty in reproducing the steep decline in D/H to the present-day values. Conversely, the lower D/H values measured at high redshift imply an omegaB greater than that derived from 7Li and 4He abundance measurements, and may require a deuterium-abundance evolution that is too low to easily explain. Here we report the first measurement of D/H at intermediate redshift (z = 0.7010), in a gas cloud selected to minimize observational uncertainties. Our analysis yields a value of D/H ((2.0 +/- 0.5) x 10[-4]) which is at the upper end of the range of values measured at high redshifts. This finding, together with other independent observations, suggests that there may be inhomogeneity in (D/H)p of at least a factor of ten.

Astronomical Phenomena↗
PubMed1997

A rotating disk of gas and dust around a young counterpart to beta Pictoris.

beta Pictoris is the best known example of a main-sequence star encircled by a tenuous disk. Optical and infrared images of beta Pic suggest that the disk is composed of dust grains which have been interpreted as the debris generated by the disruption of the asteroid-sized remnants of planet-formation processes. The star itself is relatively old, with an age in excess of 100 Myr. Here we present high-resolution millimetre-wave images of continuum and molecular-line emission from dust and gas surrounding a much younger star, MWC480: the stellar properties of MWC480 are similar to those of beta Pic, but its age is just 6Myr. The morphology of the circumstellar material and a comparison with the predictions of kinematic modelling indicate the presence of a rotating disk, gravitationally bound to the star. Moreover, the mass of the disk is greater than the minimum required to form a planetary system like our own. We therefore suggest that the disk around the young star MWC480 could be a progenitor of debris disks of the type associated with older stars such as beta Pic, and so holds much promise for the study of both the origin of debris disks and the early stages of the formation of planetary systems.

Astronomical Phenomena↗
PubMed2002

Detection of carbonates in dust shells around evolved stars.

Carbonates on large Solar System bodies like Earth and Mars (the latter represented by the meteorite ALH84001) form through the weathering of silicates in a watery (CO3)2- solution. The presence of carbonates in interplanetary dust particles and asteroids (again, represented by meteorites) is not completely understood, but has been attributed to aqueous alteration on a large parent body, which was subsequently shattered into smaller pieces. Despite efforts, the presence of carbonates outside the Solar System has hitherto not been established. Here we report the discovery of the carbonates calcite and dolomite in the dust shells of evolved stars, where the conditions are too primitive for the formation of large parent bodies with liquid water. These carbonates, therefore, are not formed by aqueous alteration, but perhaps through processes on the surfaces of dust or ice grains or gas phase condensation. The presence of carbonates which did not form by aqueous alteration suggests that some of the carbonates found in Solar System bodies no longer provide direct evidence that liquid water was present on large parent bodies early in the history of the Solar System.

Astronomical Phenomena↗
PubMed2002

A topographically forced asymmetry in the martian circulation and climate.

Large seasonal and hemispheric asymmetries in the martian climate system are generally ascribed to variations in solar heating associated with orbital eccentricity. As the orbital elements slowly change (over a period of >104 years), characteristics of the climate such as dustiness and the vigour of atmospheric circulation are thought to vary, as should asymmetries in the climate (for example, the deposition of water ice at the northern versus the southern pole). Such orbitally driven climate change might be responsible for the observed layering in Mars' polar deposits by modulating deposition of dust and water ice. Most current theories assume that climate asymmetries completely reverse as the angular distance between equinox and perihelion changes by 180 degrees. Here we describe a major climate mechanism that will not precess in this way. We show that Mars' global north-south elevation difference forces a dominant southern summer Hadley circulation that is independent of perihelion timing. The Hadley circulation, a tropical overturning cell responsible for trade winds, largely controls interhemispheric transport of water and the bulk dustiness of the atmosphere. The topography therefore imprints a strong handedness on climate, with water ice and the active formation of polar layered deposits more likely in the north.

Atmosphere↗