Nakhla is the first known Martian meteorite discovered in Egypt in 1911 .
| Impudent | |
|---|---|
| Find or fall | the fall |
| A country |  Egypt |
| A place | Nakhla, Abu Hommos, Alexandria |
| Discovery date | June 28, 1911 |
| Mass g | about 10 kg |
Content
- 1 History
- 1.1 Dog from Nakhly
- 2 Classification
- 3 Martian origin
- 3.1 Water availability
- 3.2 Availability of life
- 3.2.1 Amino acids in the meteorite
- 4 See also
- 5 notes
- 6 References
History
The meteorite fell on June 28, 1911 at approximately 09:00 local time in the Nakhla region, Abu Hummus , Alexandria , Egypt . [1] [2] Many observed an explosion in the upper atmosphere before a meteorite hit the Earth. Its fragments were found within a radius of 4.5 km from the epicenter of the explosion [3] . Some parts plunged into the ground to a depth of more than one meter. The estimated weight of the meteorite is about 10 kg, the detected fragments varied within 20-1813 grams. [one]
Dog of Nakhly
One of the fragments of the meteorite, as farmer Mohammed Ali Effendi Hakim from the village of Denshal, near Nakhly noted, fell on the dog, presumably evaporating it completely. However, no remains of the dog were found, and no one reported the loss, respectively, the story was invalid. [1] However, the story of a dog from Nakhla or “Nakhla-pse” ( English Nakhla dog ) has become a popular legend among astronomers.
Classification
The prototype of a meteorite is the Nakhlite type from the SNC group of Martian meteorites.
Martian Origin
Currently, thirty-four Martian meteorites are cataloged around the world, one of which is the Nakhla meteorite [4] . Presumably, this meteorite appeared under the influence of the collision of Mars with another cosmic body, and then was thrown into space. He moved for some time in the solar system, and then was captured by the Earth's gravitational field
Water availability
Nakhla was the first meteorite from Mars, in which there were signs of the presence of water on the planet. The rock contained carbonates and minerals, which could be the products of a chemical reaction with water. In addition, the rock itself could be in the water after its formation, which led to the secondary accumulation of minerals. The content of the 13 C isotope is higher than in terrestrial rocks, which indicates the Martian origin of the meteorite [5] .
The presence of life
In March 1999 , after a part of the meteorite was obtained from the British Museum in 1998 [3] , a team from the Johnson Space Center ( NASA ) examined the Nahl meteorite using optical and scanning electron microscopes ( SEM ) . As a result, among other things, small biomorphic parts were revealed. [6] The London Museum of Natural History , which also contained fragments of a meteorite, allowed NASA researchers to crush one of them in 2006 in order to obtain new samples without impurities and sediment. Scientists have found a large number of complex carbon compounds in dendritic pores and canals of the rock, similar to those that leave bacteria in the rocks on Earth [7] .
Discussion of the find took place at the 37th Scientific Lunar and Planetary Conference, which was held in March 2006 in Houston , Texas . As a result, it was decided that a large amount of carbon in the pores of the meteorite indirectly indicates the presence of life. However, due to the fact that carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the Universe (after hydrogen , helium and oxygen ), its presence in a meteorite and the presence of bacteria and life on Mars (or such a phenomenon earlier) do not have a direct relationship. [8]
Amino acids in the meteorite
In 1999, experts at the Johnson Space Center also discovered amino acids in the meteorite. Among them were found aspartic acid , glutamic acid , glycines , alanines and butyric acid . However, it has not yet been clarified whether they are initially part of a meteorite, or a product of pollution while it is on Earth. [5]
See also
- ALH84001
- Life on Mars
- Meteorite
- Shergotti (meteorite)
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 “The Nakhla Meteorite” - From NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- ↑ "Nakhla meteorite fragment" - From the Natural History Museum. Rotatable image of a fragment of the meteorite. URL accessed September 6, 2006.
- ↑ 1 2 McBridge, Kathleen M .; Righter, K. The 100th Anniversary of the Fall of Nakhla: The Subdivision of BM1913.25 . NASA Johnson Space Flight Center. Date of appeal September 15, 2011.
- ↑ Mars Meteorites . NASA Date of treatment February 16, 2010. Archived April 10, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Glavin, Daniel P. Amino acids in the Martian meteorite Naklah . Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ↑ “Space rock re-opens Mars debate” - February 8, 2006 BBC News article. URL accessed September 6, 2006.
- ↑ BBC News - Space rock re-opens Mars debate
- ↑ BBC News - Life on Mars - new claims