Do comets have chondrules and CAIs? Evidence from the Leonid meteors

    Authors

    T. D. Swindle;H. Campins

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Meteorit. Planet. Sci.

    Keywords

    INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLES; INSTRUMENT AIRCRAFT CAMPAIGN; CARBONACEOUS CHONDRITES; PARENT BODY; MICROMETEORITES; SPECTROSCOPY; CONSTRAINTS; ALH85085; ORBITS; SHOWER; Geochemistry & Geophysics

    Abstract

    Chondrules, silicate spheres typically 0.1 to 1 mm in diameter, are the most abundant constituents in the most common meteorites falling on Earth, the ordinary chondrites. In addition, many primitive meteorites have calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs). The question of whether comets have chondrules or CAIs is relevant to understanding what the interior of a comet is like and what a cometary meteorite might be like. In addition, one prominent model for forming chondrules and CAIs, the X-wind model, predicts their presence in comets, while most other models do not. At present, the best way to search for chondrules and CAIs in comets is through meteor showers derived from comets, in particular, the Leonid meteor shower. Evidence potentially could be found in the overall mass distribution of the shower, in chemical analyses of meteors, or in light curves. There is no evidence for a chondrule abundance in the Leonid meteors similar to that found in chondritic meteorites. There is intriguing evidence for chondrule- or CAI-sized objects in a small fraction of the light curves, but further work is required to generate a definitive test.

    Journal Title

    Meteoritics & Planetary Science

    Volume

    39

    Issue/Number

    10

    Publication Date

    1-1-2004

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    1733

    Last Page

    1740

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000224852000010

    ISSN

    1086-9379

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