Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 38: Mar-Apr 1985 Issue Contents

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Young Interplanetary Dust

Here follows an abstract of an article that appeared in Science:

"Nuclear tracks have been identified in interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) collected from the stratosphere. The presence of tracks unambiguously confirms the extraterrestrial nature of IDP's, and the high track densities (10¹⁰ to 10¹¹ per square centimeter) suggest an exposure age of approximately 10⁴ years within the inner solar system."

(Bradley, J.P., et al; "Discovery of Nuclear Tracks in Interplanetary Dust," Science, 226:1432, 1984.)

Comment. Where does this young dust come from? The Poynting-Robertson drag is supposed to sweep the inner solar system clear of dust fairly quickly. If comets supply a steady stream of dust, the particles should display a wide range of exposure ages.

Apparent path of star SAO 186001 behind Neptune. The star's light was reduced at the black circle.

From Science Frontiers #38, MAR-APR 1985. © 1985-2000 William R. Corliss

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Science Frontiers Sourcebook Project Reviewed in: Icarus: Volume 41, Issue 3, p. 470-470 1984, Vol.56:3, P.615 1983, Vol.58:3 June 1984, Vol.60:3 Dec 1984, Vol.72:3 Dec 1987 Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 81, no. 1 1987 American Journal of Physics, Volume 52, Issue 8, p. 764 August 1984 Quotes "Before opening the book, I set certain standards that a volume which treads into dangerous grounds grounds like this must meet. The author scrupulously met, or even exceeded those standards. Each phenomenon is exhaustively documented, with references to scientific journals [..] and extensive quotations" -- "Book Review: The moon and planets: a catalog of astronomical anomalies", The Sourcebook Project, 1985., Corliss, W. R., Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada>, Vol. 81, no. 1 (1987), p. 24., 02/1987