SB1 | Observing and modelling meteors in planetary atmospheres

SB1

Observing and modelling meteors in planetary atmospheres
Co-organized by TP/ODAA
Convener: Hervé Lamy | Co-conveners: Maria Gritsevich, Eloy Peña-Asensio

More than ten thousand tons of extraterrestrial objects, ranging in size from a few microns to tens of meters in diameter, enter Earth’s atmosphere annually. A small fraction of these objects yields free samples of extraterrestrial matter—meteorites—for laboratory study. The majority of these objects burn up or ablate completely in the Earth’s atmosphere, appearing as visible meteors in the night sky. By recording meteor activity and modeling the process of ablation, we can directly measure the flux of small planetary impactors. This provides ground truth for estimating present cratering rates and planetary surface ages.

The rapid advancement of observational and modeling techniques has elevated meteor science to one of the primary avenues for investigating the nature and origin of interplanetary matter and its parent bodies. This session aims to serve as a platform for presenting fundamental results and innovative concepts in this field, while also informing the broader planetary science community about the interdisciplinary impact of ongoing and future research efforts.

More than ten thousand tons of extraterrestrial objects, ranging in size from a few microns to tens of meters in diameter, enter Earth’s atmosphere annually. A small fraction of these objects yields free samples of extraterrestrial matter—meteorites—for laboratory study. The majority of these objects burn up or ablate completely in the Earth’s atmosphere, appearing as visible meteors in the night sky. By recording meteor activity and modeling the process of ablation, we can directly measure the flux of small planetary impactors. This provides ground truth for estimating present cratering rates and planetary surface ages.

The rapid advancement of observational and modeling techniques has elevated meteor science to one of the primary avenues for investigating the nature and origin of interplanetary matter and its parent bodies. This session aims to serve as a platform for presenting fundamental results and innovative concepts in this field, while also informing the broader planetary science community about the interdisciplinary impact of ongoing and future research efforts.