Asimov writing about Vesta |
Asimov writing about Vesta |
Jul 26 2011, 05:01 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 128 Joined: 10-December 06 From: Atlanta Member No.: 1472 |
While waiting for release of more images, I have a historical question about Vesta. I remember that back in late seventies or early eighties, I read a popular science book by Isaac Asimov, which had a chapter about Vesta. He mentioned that Vesta is visually the brightest of the asteroids, but of course, not the largest. He then states that the reason is the unusually high albedo of Vesta and that it should be covered by ice. Clearly, Vesta is rocky. Does any one of you guys (especially 'old timers') remember the historical background about this issue?
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Jul 26 2011, 05:24 PM
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#2
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10229 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Today people do accept the idea of some ice on objects in the asteroid belt, but I don't recall anyone taking that idea seriously back in Asimov's time.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PDF: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Jul 26 2011, 07:26 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 706 Joined: 3-December 04 From: Boulder, Colorado, USA Member No.: 117 |
Tom McCord and colleagues indentified pyroxene on Vesta, and noted the similarity of its spectrum to those of eucrite meteorites, back in 1970. So Asimov either wasn't aware of that work, or wrote what he wrote prior to 1970. Heres the ADS link to the 1970 paper
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Jul 26 2011, 11:09 PM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 |
Tom McCord and colleagues indentified pyroxene on Vesta, and noted the similarity of its spectrum to those of eucrite meteorites, back in 1970. So Asimov either wasn't aware of that work, or wrote what he wrote prior to 1970. Heres the ADS link to the 1970 paper I also remember reading that Asimov article when I was a kid, in one of the book-sized collections, so it had to have been published before the mid-1970s. My guess is that the original article must have been written sometime in the 1960s or late 1950s, when most of those collected Asimov articles were written. edit -- I am thinking of the collected articles, not a stand-alone book, so I assume that he wrote about Vesta more than once. |
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