First Mars Meteor Traced to Comet Wiseman-Skiff |
|
Written by spacetravel.org
|
|
Friday, 03 June 2005 13:13 |
|
 Franck Selsis of the Center for Astronomical Research in Lyon and his colleagues believe that the first meteor ever seen on Mars comes from a trail left by the comet Wiseman-Skiff, which takes six and a half years to orbit the Sun. The US Mars exploration rover, Spirit, recorded this meteor as a long streak against the sky on March 7, 2004. The team believes that the streaks trajectory shows that the meteor originated from debris from Wiseman-Skiff that was deposited in past years. The researchers believe that the collisions between the comets tail and Mars atmosphere result in annual meteor showers. There may also be meteor swarms if Mars crosses a thick, recent deposit of debris from the comet. The researchers believe there is a good chance that such a meteor shower will occur on December 20, 2007.
|