IMCCE Meteor Showers - Scientific interests of ET-Meteor Showers

Introduction

A meteor shower occurs when a planet collides with a meteoroid stream, usually ejected by a comet. The presence of dozens of these parent bodies leads to the creation of several showers on any body of the Solar System. And indeed, the first fireball in the Jovian atmosphere was detected in the 70's, followed more recently by the first martian meteor.

Multiplying numbers

Meteoroids are hard to detect: too small to be directly observed by optical techniques, and too big to efficiently diffuse the Solar light. There are two ways to detect them: by infrared direct infrared (+some rare optical) observations, and by meteors apparition. This later case is an excellent way to test our knowledge on the dynamics and the organization of meteoroid streams in the Solar System. The Earth atmosphere is a good tool to reveal meteoroids, but only a small fraction of all the streamscan be detected. The presence of other planets increases our chances to know the meteoritic complex. Given the total number of comets, there are potentially more than 100 meteor showers on all the planets (see also Selsis et al. 2004) Some comets, like e.g. 45P/HMP are crossing the orbits of several planets (Venus, the Earth and Mars in this case).

Life ?

Comets are well known to contain organic matter, that is potentially transmitted to meteoroids. During one perihelion passage a single comet can eject several millions of particles, that are rapidly spread out in the Solar System. Meteoroids are today the most efficient way to exchange some matter in the Solar System. Everyday lots of particles are falling on the Earth, and therefore on other planets. The biggest question is then to know if meteoroids can carry and deliver organic molecules, that can be responsible for the apparition and/or the spread out of life in the Solar System.

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