Posted on 05/14/2006 8:31:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Tiny, red-tinted Amalthea is only about 270 kilometres (168 miles) in length and half that in width. Its mass, estimated from its gravitational effect on Galileo when the spacecraft passed within about 160 kilometres (99 miles) of the moon on 5 November, is far smaller than had been predicted. Amalthea's overall density is close to the density of water ice, Dr Anderson says. But the moon is almost certainly not a solid hunk of ice... Dr Johnson adds: "This finding supports the idea that the inner moons of Jupiter have undergone intense bombardment and break-up. Amalthea may have formed originally as one piece, but then was busted to bits by collisions." It seems that Amalthea does not have quite enough mass to pull itself together into a consolidated, spherical body like the Earth's moon or Jupiter's four largest moons. In addition, Amalthea's density estimate fits in with an emerging pattern of finding irregularly shaped moons and asteroids to be porous rubble piles.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
NASA Funding Shutters Galileo Camera for Amalthea Flyby (Jupiter)
Space Daily | 07/09/2002 | Bruce Moomaw
Posted on 07/09/2002 11:46:04 AM EDT by cogitator
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/713182/posts
Jupiter's Spots Disappear Amid Major Climate Change
Space.com | 21 April 2004 | Robert Roy Britt
Posted on 04/21/2004 5:04:19 PM EDT by Yo-Yo
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1121982/posts
22 posted on 04/21/2004 6:16:27 PM EDT by Jack Black
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1121982/posts?page=22#22
Thought a Jupiter topic would be nice, because I'm watching "2010" for the first time in three or four years. :')
Oh no! Bush/Cheney and Halliburton got there already! </sarc
Galileo's Final Observation:Amalthea's irregular shape and low density suggest the moon has been broken into many pieces that now cling together from the pull of each other's gravity, mixed with empty spaces where the pieces don't fit together tightly. It's probably boulder-size or larger pieces just touching each other, not pressing hard together... Serendipitously, Galileo discovered seven to nine space rocks near Jupiter's inner moon Amalthea as the spacecraft flew past at the end of 2002. The probe's star scanner detected the objects as nine bright flashes of light during the flyby. Two of the recorded flashes may have been duplicate sightings... Experts at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, analyzed the data to estimate the sizes of the objects, which seem to have ranged from gravel to stadium-size boulders... The seven or nine tiny bodies might have been drawn by gravity into an orbit near Amalthea or they may have been split off of the moon as a result of past collisions with other objects.
A Featherweight Jumble Named Amalthea
Space Today Online
2004
a - The mean semi-major axis.
Jupiter Satellite Data Des. Name a i e Peri Node M Period mag H Size Year (km) (deg) (deg) (deg) (deg) (days) (mag) (km) Small Inner Regulars and Rings XVI Metis 128100 0.021 0.001 40.7 138.1 181.6 0.30 17.5 x 44 1979 XV Adrastea 128900 0.027 0.002 21.2 167.4 143.5 0.30 18.7 x 16 1979 V Amalthea 181400 0.389 0.003 147.8 112.3 189.8 0.50 14.1 x 168 1892 XIV Thebe 221900 1.070 0.018 233.5 235.9 136.4 0.68 16.0 x 98 1979 Galileans I Io 421800 0.036 0.000 268.7 44.3 157.2 1.77 5.0 x 3643 1610 II Europa 671100 0.467 0.000 225.8 219.6 33.8 3.55 5.3 x 3122 1610 III Ganymede 1070400 0.172 0.001 192.3 65.7 315.5 7.16 4.6 x 5262 1610 IV Callisto 1882700 0.307 0.007 46.2 305.3 181.2 16.69 5.7 x 4821 1610 Themisto Prograde Irregular Group XVIII Themisto S/2000 J1 7507000 43.08 0.242 240.7 201.5 134.2 130.0 21.0 14.4 9 2000 Himalia Prograde Irregular Group XIII Leda 11165000 27.46 0.164 272.3 217.1 228.1 240.9 20.2 13.5 18 1974 VI Himalia 11461000 27.50 0.162 332.0 57.2 68.7 250.6 14.8 8.1 160 1904 X Lysithea 11717000 28.30 0.112 49.5 5.5 329.1 259.2 18.2 11.7 38 1938 VII Elara 11741000 26.63 0.217 143.6 109.4 333.0 259.6 16.6 10.0 78 1905 S/2000 J11 12555000 28.30 0.248 178.0 290.9 169.9 287.0 22.4 16.1 4 2000 Carpo Prograde Irregular Group XLVI Carpo S/2003 J20 16989000 51.4 0.430 90.0.0 60.9 242.8 456.1 23.0 15.6 3 2003 Retrograde Irregular Groups Ananke Retrograde Irregular Group XXXIV Euporie S/2001 J10 19302000 145.8 0.144 74.6 64.9 293.0 550.7 23.1 16.5 2 2001 XXXV Orthosie S/2001 J9 20721000 145.9 0.281 230.5 223.6 326.8 622.6 23.1 16.5 2 2001 XXXIII Euanthe S/2001 J7 20799000 148.9 0.232 316.0 271.0 130.5 620.6 22.8 16.2 3 2001 XXIX Thyone S/2001 J2 20940000 148.5 0.229 89.1 243.0 26.6 627.3 22.3 15.7 4 2001 XL Mneme S/2003 J21 21069000 148.6 0.227 041.7 018.1 338.9 620.0 23.3 16.3 2 2003 XXII Harpalyke S/2000 J5 21105000 148.6 0.226 129.9 40.0 120.4 623.3 22.2 15.2 4 2000 XXX Hermippe S/2001 J3 21131000 150.7 0.210 298.7 347.2 276.4 633.9 22.1 15.5 4 2001 XXVII Praxidike S/2000 J7 21147000 149.0 0.230 209.7 285.2 21.8 625.3 21.2 15.0 7 2000 XLII Thelxinoe S/2003 J22 21162000 151.4 0.221 179.8 206.2 194.0 628.1 23.5 16.4 2 2003 XXIV Iocaste S/2000 J3 21269000 149.4 0.216 80.0 271.3 129.8 631.5 21.8 14.5 5 2000 XII Ananke 21276000 148.9 0.244 100.6 7.6 248.8 610.5 18.9 12.2 28 1951 Carme Retrograde Irregular Group XLIII Arche S/2002 J1 22931000 165.0 0.259 161.1 350.7 126.7 723.9 22.8 16.4 3 2002 XXXVIII Pasithee S/2001 J6 23096000 165.1 0.267 253.3 338.7 272.7 719.5 23.2 16.6 2 2001 XXI Chaldene S/2000 J10 23179000 165.2 0.251 282.5 148.7 131.6 723.8 22.5 15.7 4 2000 XXXVII Kale S/2001 J8 23217000 165.0 0.260 44.4 56.4 286.4 729.5 23.0 16.4 2 2001 XXVI Isonoe S/2000 J6 23217000 165.2 0.246 145.6 149.8 345.4 725.5 22.5 15.9 4 2000 XXXI Aitne S/2001 J11 23231000 165.1 0.264 122.2 24.5 153.9 730.2 22.7 16.1 3 2001 XXV Erinome S/2000 J4 23279000 164.9 0.266 356.0 321.7 131.1 728.3 22.8 16.0 3 2000 XX Taygete S/2000 J9 23360000 165.2 0.252 241.1 313.3 317.9 732.2 21.9 15.4 5 2000 XI Carme 23404000 164.9 0.253 28.2 113.7 234.0 702.3 17.9 11.3 46 1938 XXIII Kalyke S/2000 J2 23583000 165.2 0.245 216.6 38.7 116.3 743.0 21.8 15.3 5 2000 XLVII Eukelade S/2003 J1 23661000 165.5 0.272 325.6 206.3 098.4 746.4 22.6 15.0 4 2003 XLIV Kallichore S/2003 J11 24043000 165.5 0.264 018.5 041.5 319.4 764.7 23.7 16.8 2 2003 Pasiphae Retrograde Irregular Group XLV Helike S/2003 J6 21263000 154.8 0.156 314.7 100.3 036.2 634.8 22.6 16.0 4 2003 XXXII Eurydome S/2001 J4 22865000 150.3 0.276 241.6 307.4 340.7 717.3 22.7 16.1 3 2001 XXVIII Autonoe S/2001 J1 23039000 152.9 0.334 60.2 275.6 182.7 762.7 22.0 15.4 4 2001 XXXVI Sponde S/2001 J5 23487000 151.0 0.312 79.1 129.1 216.8 748.3 23.0 16.4 2 2001 VIII Pasiphae 23624000 151.4 0.409 170.5 313.0 280.2 708.0 16.9 10.3 58 1908 XIX Megaclite S/2000 J8 23806000 152.8 0.421 302.3 304.6 352.5 752.8 21.7 15.0 6 2000 IX Sinope 23939000 158.1 0.250 346.4 303.1 168.4 724.5 18.3 11.6 38 1914 XXXIX Hegemone S/2003 J8 23947000 155.2 0.328 235.4 327.6 98.73 739.6 22.8 15.9 3 2003 XLI Aoede S/2003 J7 23981000 158.3 0.432 074.5 187.1 074.0 761.5 22.5 15.8 4 2003 XVII Callirrhoe S/1999 J1 24102000 147.1 0.283 49.3 281.1 321.7 758.8 20.8 14.2 7 1999 XLVIII Cyllene S/2003 J13 24349000 149.3 0.319 214.0 266.4 000.4 737.8 23.2 16.2 2 2003 The new Jupiter satellites discovered in 2003 yet to be named.
Named 2003 satellites are in the Table above.S/2003 J2 28570410 151.8 0.380 00.0 000.0 000.0 982.5 23.2 16.6 2 2003 S/2003 J3 18339885 143.7 0.241 00.0 000.0 000.0 504.0 23.4 16.9 2 2003 S/2003 J4 23257920 144.9 0.204 00.0 000.0 000.0 723.2 23.0 16.4 2 2003 S/2003 J5 24084180 165.0 0.210 00.0 000.0 000.0 759.7 22.4 15.6 4 2003 S/2003 J9 22441680 164.5 0.269 000.0 000.0 00.00 683.0 23.7 17.2 1 2003 S/2003 J10 24249600 164.1 0.214 000.0 000.0 00.00 767.0 23.6 16.7 2 2003 S/2003 J12 19002480 145.8 0.376 000.0 000.0 00.00 533.3 23.9 17.2 1 2003 S/2003 J14 25000000 140.9 0.222 000.0 000.0 00.00 807.8 23.6 16.7 2 2003 S/2003 J15 22000000 140.8 0.110 000.0 000.0 00.00 668.4 23.5 16.8 2 2003 S/2003 J16 21000000 148.6 0.270 000.0 000.0 00.00 595.4 23.3 16.3 2 2003 S/2003 J17 22000000 163.7 0.190 000.0 000.0 00.00 690.3 23.4 16.5 2 2003 S/2003 J18 20700000 146.5 0.119 000.0 000.0 00.00 606.3 23.4 16.5 2 2003 S/2003 J19 22800000 162.9 0.334 000.0 000.0 00.00 701.3 23.7 16.7 2 2003 S/2003 J23 24055500 149.2 0.309 000.0 000.0 00.00 759.7 23.6 16.7 2 2003
"Asteroids: Deadly Impact"? That's my fave Nat Geog of all time. :')
I'm very much interested in viruses existing in space. They are non-living and inhabit all our planet. Wonder if the space debris contains strains that change life?
Considering the energy on delivery, it doesn't seem that likely, although that's only in consideration of surface impacts. Stuff that fluffs out at high altitude could deliver quite a bit. From 2004:
Small Comets and Our Origins
University of Iowa | circa 1999 | Louis A. Frank
Posted on 10/20/2004 2:13:25 AM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1250694/posts
Neptune Might Have Captured Triton
Space.com on Yahoo | 5/10/06 | Sara Goudarzi
Posted on 05/10/2006 3:31:09 PM EDT by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1630007/posts
Bookmarked snowball comets. Dang, that brings up so many questions. First thought is that the earth's hydrological system is not closed which puts every idea I had concerning how land bridges disappeared out the window. Conversely, a large asteroid (whose impact cannot be seen) dried up the oceans and sent water into space.
Then there are ice planets and ice moons
my mind is having a hard time right now
Not into space, into ice sheets.
Did comets flood Earth’s oceans?
EurekaAlert | 16 June 2004
Posted on 06/16/2004 5:30:59 PM EDT by ckilmer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1154794/posts
Scientist: Comets Blasted Early Americans
ap on Yahoo | 10/28/05 | Meg Kinnard - ap
Posted on 10/28/2005 9:33:11 PM EDT by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511330/posts
Asteroids:
Deadly Impact
National Geographic
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