Cosmic Debris: What It Is and What We Can Do About It

269 Pages·2017·3.915 MB·English

by  Jonathan Powell (auth.)

Jonathan Powell
Cosmic Debris
What It Is and
What We Can Do About It
’
Astronomers Universe
Series editor
Martin Beech, Campion College, The University of Regina, Regina,
Saskatchewan, Canada
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/
6960
Jonathan Powell
Cosmic Debris
What It Is and What We Can Do About It
Jonathan Powell
EbbwVale,Gwent
UK
ISSN 1614-659X ISSN 2197-6651 (electronic)
Astronomers’Universe
ISBN 978-3-319-51015-6 ISBN 978-3-319-51016-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-51016-3
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017934208
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the
wholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,
reuseofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyother
physicalway,andtransmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,
computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter
developed.
Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.in
this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such
namesareexemptfromtherelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreefor
generaluse.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and
information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication.
Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied,
withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhave
beenmade.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictionalclaimsinpublished
mapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
Printedonacid-freepaper
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature
TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAG
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland
Contents
1 Defining Cosmic Debris.. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 1
2 Minor Planets and Asteroids.. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 19
3 Comets .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 43
4 Meteors and Meteorites .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 95
5 Fireballs.. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 109
6 Near-Earth Objects. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 119
7 Life Givers or Life Takers? . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 133
8 Our Own Debris.. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 151
9 Observing Meteors and Meteor Showers.. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 179
10 Observing Comets and Asteroids. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 217
11 Endgame. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 239
Glossary. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 247
Index. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 263
v
About the Author
Jonathan Powell is a native of South Wales. With an interest in
astronomy and related subjects since the late 1970s, Jonathan has
written for two of the United Kingdom’s largest astronomical
magazines, Astronomy Now and The Sky at Night. Jonathan has
been a freelance radio broadcaster on astronomy since 1985,
chiefly for regional BBC output. During this time he has had two
monthly slots, firstly on BBC Radio Gwent, then a three year run
on BBC Radio Wales. Jonathan also took part in a BBC Radio 4
documentary series on meteorites. He has held the position of
secretary for one of the local astronomical societies, with
involvement for a number of years as local officer for the British
Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies.
A former member of the Association for Astronomy
Education—which encouraged and promoted astronomy among
the young—Powell also headed up ‘SpaceQuest,’ an educational
lecturetool,whichtouredschoolswithatwo-hourpresentationon
astronomy. Jonathan has also written two monthly astronomy
columns, firstly for a local newspaper which ran for seven years
back in the 1980’s entitled Stargazing, and more recently for a
regional newspaper, the South Wales Argus, with a column enti-
tled The Night Sky. Jonathan has also written a book on Welsh
castles entitled Fortress Wales.
vii
1. Defining Cosmic Debris
First Light
The cycle begins and the clock is ticking. The potent force that is
to encapsulate all that we know is reaching out, expanding,
pioneeringitsfirstgreatexhalationofbreathintothegreatvoid—a
breath that will encompass all, as the bud turns to flower and
opens its petals, spreading light where once only darkness existed.
The seconds pass, the minutes accumulate, days turn into weeks,
months into years, and the giant exhalation continues—the dawn
of time and the first flicker of consciousness.
Difficult to comprehend but undeniable by its very presence,
it all had to start somewhere at some point and, with everything
thatstarts,thereisanend.Themayflyhasbut24 hinitslifecycle
from birth to death, with some of the 2500 known species of
mayfly living for an even shorter time, barely a few hours. But
these hours are all relative, as the length of time spent is as full in
the life of a mayfly as the 200-year potential lifespan of a bowhead
whale. However, time for both and for all, as we know, will end.
Physicsdictatesthattimewillatsomepointliterallyrunout,
simplyceasetobe.Thetickingclockwillultimatelystop.Couldit
be at this point, when time does finally end, that another Big Bang
setsit allin motionagain?And,ifthis isthecase,likelifeitself,is
the world in which we live merely made up of endless cycles?
Isitonegreatexhalationfollowedbyanothergreatinhalation,
drawing all that we know back to one starting point, so another
such exhalation can start again?
From the dawn of time these questions have been posed, and
willcontinuetobeposed,butevenwithourgreaterunderstanding
of the mechanics of the universe, there will always be questions
that are simply unanswerable. By the same token, to know
everything can be considered rather dangerous, so it is probably
quite reassuring that we don’t know everything. It is perhaps an
uncomfortable imbalance for some, but a great leveler for others.
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017 1
J.Powell,CosmicDebris,Astronomers’Universe,
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-51016-3_1
2 Cosmic Debris
This ‘not knowing’ also acts as a catalyst to push humans to
want to know more—the very driver behind climbing the highest
mountain, diving to the deepest depths of the oceans, indeed,
reaching for the stars. The thirst for knowledge will never end,
making the journey towards unraveling life’s puzzles more invit-
ing, with perhaps the discovery not always living up to the
expectation, the journey itself being more of a revelation than the
ultimate findings.
In order to understand the place of cosmic debris in our lives,
we first have to understand the known parameters in which it
exists (Fig. 1.1).
Fig.1.1 OurUniverse(courtesyofNASA)
Defining Cosmic Debris 3
The universe is the totality of existence, all-encompassing,
from the vastness of a galaxy to the smallest subatomic particles.
All matter and all energy is accounted for within its vast scope,
including dark matter and dark energy.
The visible part of the universe, which includes our own
Earth, our own Sun, other stars, and the most distant of galaxies,
represents this visible universe, made from protons, neutrons and
electrons,clusteredtogetherintoatoms.Therestoftheuniverseis
accountedforbyaninvisiblesubstanceknownasdarkmatter,and
by a force that repels gravity, known as dark energy.
The Matter of Darkness
Percentage-wise, dark energy has the majority share in the uni-
verse, comprising some 70%, with dark matter accounting for
25%.
Fritz Zwicky (1898–1974), a Swiss astronomer at the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), stumbled across the
gravitational effects of dark matter in the early 1930s. Zwicky, a
bold and visionary scientist, was far ahead of his time in con-
ceiving of the existence of dark matter.
At the time, Zwicky was studying how galaxies move within
the Coma cluster, a large collection of galaxies located in the
constellation of Coma Berenices. Over 1000 identified galaxies
dwell within the cluster, spanning about 2° in the night sky. All
told, the cluster could contain as many as 10,000 galaxies (each
housing billions of stars), representing one of the richest known
clusters (Fig. 1.2).
Zwickywasinterestedinhowgravityaffectedthemovements
ofgalaxieswithinthecluster.Thegalaxieswithintheclusterhave
nocentralheavyobject,likeourSun,togravitatearound,andthus
follow more complicated orbits. How were the complicated orbits
controlled, though?
Zwicky’sobservationsofsupernovaeindistantgalaxies,made
from Caltech’s Mount Wilson Observatory, laid the foundation of
his theoretical work.
Having persuaded Caltech to build an 18-inch Schmidt tele-
scope that could capture large numbers of galaxies in a single