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Simultaneous Major Meteor Impacts in Antarctica

Prof. Alan Rice in Antarctica

REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR THIS FREE VIRTUAL EVENT:

Hamptons Observatory (HO), a 501(c)(3) NYS nonprofit that relies on public support has served the South Fork since 2005. Hamptons Observatory offers all of its programs free-of-charge so that everyone can enjoy the wonders of their Universe. To make a tax-deductible donation to support its mission, please click here. To join HO's list for event notices, email HamptonsObservatory@gmail.com

Vapor trail from meteor over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013

Virtual Astronomy Lecture:

Simultaneous Major Meteor Impacts in Antarctica

SPEAKER: Prof. Alan Rice

CO-HOST: John Jermain Memorial Library

We know about the kind of devastation that major meteor strikes can cause just by looking at what happened on February 15, 2013. On that date, a house-sized meteor entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded about 14 miles above Chelyabinsk, Russia. The shock wave it generated blew out windows in an area of over 200 square miles, injuring about 1,600 people. Scientists have plucked more than 45,000 meteorites from the ice in Antarctica. Each of these “space rocks” carries a story about the composition of our solar system and the conditions that existed early in its development. It was recently estimated that as many as 300,000 more meteorites and their stories are still out on the ice waiting to be found. Prof. Alan Rice will tell us about the Antarctic meteors and what we can learn from them.

Alan Rice, DESc, received his degree from Columbia University. He was a professor of geophysics, geology, sustainability, oceanography, physics and engineering in the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, San Francisco State University. While working at Stony Brook University, and in the division of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History (where he frequently collaborated with the Hayden Planetarium), he conducted research on the occurrence and consequences of multiple meteoric impacts in Antarctica. He has been an Advisory Board member of Hamptons Observatory since its inception.

Hamptons Observatory extends its appreciation to Prof. Rice for generously taking the time to share his expertise and to the John Jermain Memorial Library for its kind collaboration on this program.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS FREE, VIRTUAL EVENT: https://bit.ly/meteor-talk

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