Date: Monday 19-September-2022
Time: 11:15-12:15
Location: Zoom (contact for link)
Speaker: Teddy Kareta
Title: Inner Solar System Blues: Thermal Alteration and Changing Activity on Near-Sun Asteroids and Dormant Comets
Abstract: The study of the remnant planetesimals of the Solar System -- the comets, asteroids, and so on -- is in part motivated by how they might retain information and properties from when they first coalesced during the epoch of planetary formation some Four-and-a-Half Billion years ago. However, the past twenty years have shown that many more populations of small bodies are active (losing mass) than previously recognized, and often in ways that are far from being clearly understood. In this talk, I will discuss a few recent and ongoing projects in which we have characterized the properties of meteor shower parent bodies and dormant comets with techniques ranging from telescopic observations to dynamical & compositional modeling to laboratory experiments heating meteorites to better understand the evolution of many inner Solar System small bodies. This multidisciplinary approach has proven highly successful in making inroads in understanding how the surfaces of these small objects are changed by their activity and orbit, but also in finding ways to "roll back the clock" on them and start to understand which of their modern properties are original -- and which ones document more recent processes. I will close this talk by connecting some of the questions explored here to our ability to understand the properties of Interstellar Objects -- small bodies which formed around other stars -- and to highlight some new areas of research that might stem from connecting the Solar System to exoplanet science a little more thoroughly.
For further information contact PALS coordinator Quanzhi Ye at qye@umd.edu.
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
