A possible meteor shower on the Moon
Abstract
Over the 3-day period from 12 to 14 October, 1990, the sodium abundance in the lunar atmosphere at 80° South increased by 60%, while interspersed measurements at the equator showed no substantial change. The source is suggested to be an unknown meteor shower with a radiant near the south ecliptic pole. A low relative velocity of ∼20 km/sec, combined with small particle masses, would keep the shower below the detectability threshold of radar. The stream could evolve from a reasonable asteroidal or cometary orbit with perihelion somewhat greater than 1 astronomical unit (AU) and a major axis of a few AU. The short residence time of lunar sodium makes it much more favorable than the terrestrial sodium layer for detection of such an event.
- Publication:
-
Geophysical Research Letters
- Pub Date:
- November 1991
- DOI:
- 10.1029/91GL02543
- Bibcode:
- 1991GeoRL..18.2101H
- Keywords:
-
- Lunar Atmosphere;
- Meteoroid Dust Clouds;
- Meteoroid Showers;
- Sodium;
- Solar Orbits;
- Solar System;
- Planetology: Solid Surface Planets and Satellites: Atmospheric composition and chemistry;
- Planetology: Solid Surface Planets and Satellites: Surfaces;
- Planetology: Comets and Small Bodies: Dust