HR: 1340h
AN: P13C-1430    [Abstracts]
TI: The Black Axiom: an A Priori Explanation for Iapetus's Dark Side
AU: * Van Flandern, T
EM: tomvf@metaresearch.org
AF: Meta Research, 994 Woolsey Ct, Sequim, WA 98382-5058, United States
AB: Most theories to explain Iapetus's hemispheric dichotomy begin with the observation of the dichotomy and guess its cause. Only one theory stands on solid footing independent of Iapetus, yet requires that Iapetus be marked just as we see it. That one theory is the modern updating of the 200-year-old exploded planet hypothesis (EPH), the scientific justification for which is extensive. A comprehensive review paper on the status of the theory just appeared in "The challenge of the exploded planet hypothesis", Int'l J.AstroBio. 6:185-197, 2007. The so-called "black axiom" first appeared in "Dark Matter, Missing Planets and New Comets", T. Van Flandern, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 1993; 2nd ed. 1999. It notes that the EPH event sends a carbonaceous blast wave spreading throughout the solar system and coating surfaces facing the wave as it passes by over a period of a few weeks. Most moons rotate fast enough to get coated on all sides. But a few can be only partially coated. The most outstanding examples are Iapetus (half black and half white because of very slow rotation) and Triton (tilted spin axis, protecting part of one hemisphere). But all old-surface solar system moons are coated to the extent the EPH would expect. For Iapetus, the Cassini photos have already revealed some confirming evidence. The dark material is streaked perpendicular to the border, consistent with grazing arrival of the blast wave in those border regions. A prediction for future imagery is that the near-equator borders of the dark hemisphere will taper off gradually as the moon rotated during the weeks of the blast wave passage. The polar regions should show no such tapering. Scientists trying to understand Iapetus will be interested in considering this model along with the others already on the table so that the correct model ultimately prevails.
UR: http://metaresearch.org/publications/bulletin/2006issues/1215/Mrb06dp3.asp
DE: 5450 Orbital and rotational dynamics (1221)
DE: 5455 Origin and evolution
DE: 5470 Surface materials and properties
DE: 6207 Comparative planetology
DE: 6280 Saturnian satellites
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting