This document summarizes a student project on meteorite classification and trajectory modeling. It describes the three main types of meteorites - stony, iron, and stony iron. It discusses techniques for analyzing meteorites like thin section microscopy. The document outlines equations of motion and initial conditions used to model meteorite trajectories. Plots of orbital paths are generated and future work is proposed to model meteorite impacts or deflections off Earth.

1. Meteorite Classification and trajectory modelingJessie MillerOhio Wesleyan UniversityDepartment of Physics and AstronomyFaculty Advisors: Barbara Andereck and Karen Fryer

2. Three Main Types of MeteoritesStonyIronStony Iron

3. Stony MeteoritesChondrites: most abundant meteorites found on Earth

4. chemically primitive (low metallicities )

5. chondrulesAchondritesChondrites that have been changed slightly by melting and recrystallization

6. contain igneous inclusionsIron Meteoritespieces of the differentiated cores of asteroids

7. can be designated into three major categories and other smaller categories through studying their Widmanstatten etching patternsStony Iron MeteoritesHave characteristics of both stony and iron meteorites

8. Origin of Meteorites

9. Thin Section MicroscopyLogitech.ukEOSMolecular Expressions

10. Properties in Plane-Polarized LightCrystal habit CleavageReliefMicrolab NorthwestUND

11. ExtinctionIsotropic MineralsAnisotropic MineralsSpeed of light through mineral is same in all directionsLight travels through mineral unaffectedAll light is absorbed by analyzerSpeed of light through mineral is dependent on directionLight is doubly refracted (split into two rays- slow ray and fast ray)Some light passes through analyzer for most orientationsSorrel.humboldt.eduWebassign.net

12. Interference ColorsOlympusNote: tsis time for slow ray to reach analyzer, d is thickness of thin section, V is speed of light in given mediums, n is index of refraction, Δ is retardation

13. DT 12-8 – H4 Chondrite

14. NWA 5546 – CV3 Chondrite

15. Modeling – Equations of Motion mm*xm''[t]=((xe[t]-xm[t]) G mm me)/((xe[t]-xm[t])^2+(ye[t]-ym[t])^2)^(3/2)+((xs[t]-xm[t]) G ms mm)/((xs[t]-xm[t])^2+(ys[t]-ym[t])^2)^(3/2) mm*ym''[t]=((ye[t]-ym[t]) G mm me)/((xe[t]-xm[t])^2+(ye[t]-ym[t])^2)^(3/2)+((ys[t]-ym[t]) G ms mm)/((xs[t]-xm[t])^2+(ys[t]-ym[t])^2)^(3/2)

16. Modeling – Initial Conditionsinitial positions and velocities of the Earth and the meteoroid relative to the center of mass of the system were givenboth bodies assumed to start at periapsis (position in orbit closest to central body) on the x-axis, resulting in initial y positions of zeroinitial x velocities are zeroinitial y velocities found using the equation where M is the mass of the body being directly orbited (mefor the meteoroid and ms for Earth).

17. Orbital Plots

18. Future WorkAssign Earth finite sizeTime-step through orbits to locate time of possible impact Based on the incoming velocity and angle of the meteoroid, it may either collide with Earth or be deflectedDetermine the percent of meteoroids that collide with Earth versus the percent that are deflectedIn this final form, the program could be used to detect imminent meteorite impacts.