[X] My Assistant

[jaredGalen]

Looks like the streak spotted back in March is most likely a bit of a comet called Wiseman–Skiff. According to this article

Fantastic little addition to Spirits 'research portfolio.'

[Chmee]

What interests me is that Martian meteor showers should be much more spectacular than Earth's since its atmosphere is so much thinner; the meteor burns up at a much lower altitude with a corresponding increase in brightness and length.

This is probably why Spirit was able to capture it in its pancam. Had that same meteorite entered Eath's atmosphere it would have been much dimmer.

[MichaelT]

What interests me is that Martian meteor showers should be much more spectacular than Earth's since its atmosphere is so much thinner; the meteor burns up at a much lower altitude with a corresponding increase in brightness and length.

This is probably why Spirit was able to capture it in its pancam.  Had that same meteorite entered Eath's atmosphere it would have been much dimmer.

Though ' atmosphere is much thinner at the ground, it is not so at high altitudes due to the lower gravity. Most meteors burn up in the Earth's atmosphere above 80 km. You will find the same air density at an elevation of ~65 km in ' atmosphere, so only 15 km lower. Above 100 km the difference is even smaller. So I would expect them to be only slightly brighter as they are slowed down at a comparable rate.
Michael

[Bob Shaw]

MichaelT's comments regarding the relative densities of the upper atmospheres of Mars and Earth are right on the ball!

One difference, however, must be due to the orbital position of Mars (further out from the Sun, hence lower 'collision speed' with incoming particles). Another might be the lower escape velocity, so that objects falling from an 'infinite' distance will impact at a lower velocity than on the Earth. Of course, objects in out of the ecliptic orbits (like many comets, which provide us with trails of dust) will still have a fair old wallop.

My feeling is that the distributon of masses which make it through the atmosphere may *not* be exactly like our own, local, experience - Mars' atmosphere, gravity and distance from the sun may select for a different population of objects making it to the ground.

Oh, and as for the chemistry... ...could a white-hot nickel-iron meteorite oxidise in the upper atmosphere by grabbing oxygen off of CO2 molecules?