TO A DUST COVERED CRT
PROVIDE A CLUE TO
CRATER FORMATION ON PLANETARY BODIES
Electric Discharge patterns, seen in a thin layer of dust on a CRT, have a striking resemblance to many features seen on moons and asteroids. What might this low tech experiment with only the energizing of a CRT and my finger reveal about how some planetary surface features are formed? One aspect of these experiments involved a power-off configuration and electrostatic cleaning and redeposition on material, to specific locations of previous discharges, to form spider features.
Many features on moons and asteroids are hard to
explain through the mechanism of an impact. The anomalies are
numerous but the most obvious challenge is chained craters which
appear to overlap each other or lay in very close linear
proximity.
Crater chains, seen on solid bodies in this
region of space, are comprised of a series of semi-circular
patterns, similar to a weld bead yet spaced in a manner that
results in the semi-circles being formed with approximately 60% or
more of the circle's perimeter still visible. In a crater chain
there is always a completely circular crater at one end. The
symmetry of all the exposed perimeters is generally well
preserved.
Impact explanations face several
problems. A chain of craters, formed by impacts, would require a
chain of objects to strike the surface in quick succession and in a
straight line, something that did not occur in the case of
Shoemaker-Levy 9, the usual example given as a possible cause.
Also, the subsequent impacts would destroy the clarity of
previously formed crater rims, observed crater chains involve
virtually no such disturbance.
Considering
the consistent appearance of crater chains, there are too many
details that are not answerable through the impact theory for it to
be valid for these features.
Experiments with
static discharge, to a dust covered CRT, offers another tool to
help understand the formation of crater chains, in particular, and
potentially other crater features as
well.
Look closely at the enhanced image
at the top of the page for there are many similarities to consider.
The complete poster presentation can now be
viewed.
