Workshop on Water in Asteroids and Meteorites

Observatoire de Paris, September 29 & 30, 2011

[ Presentations | Latest News |Scientific Rationale |Workshop Details | Preliminary Program | List of Participants | Abstracts | Contact Information ]

Latest News

October 16, 2011: The presentations have been added.

September 25, 2011: The meeting is at "Salle de l'Atelier".

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Scientific Rationale

The presence and distribution of water in asteroids is relevant to the origin and evolution of these objects, of our Solar System, and even of Earth's own water.  Water in asteroids has been detected in the form of hydrated minerals and recently as surface ice. The study of water and hydrated minerals in meteorites is equally exciting and relevant. This focused workshop will bring together the astronomical and meteoritic communities in a forum conducive to fruitful interactions.  

There have been important recent developments in this topic. The tantalizing indication of water ice surviving in the Themis asteroid family (as suggested by the cometary activity observed in two asteroids belonging to this family) has been confirmed by the detection of surface ice on asteroid 24 Themis by two independent groups (Campins et al. 2010, Rivkin and Emery 2010).  In addition, water ice and organics have been reported on a second asteroid, 65 Cybele (Licandro et al. 2011).  The presence of ice on these two asteroids, particularly over a significant fraction of their surfaces, is puzzling because of the short lifetime for exposed water ice at these heliocentric distances (~3.2 and 3.4 AU, respectively).  Nevertheless, there are several possible sources for this unstable ice and identifying them is likely to be diagnostic of important processes on primitive asteroids.

Some of the issues we can address during this workshop include:

• The identification of the source(s) of surface ice on asteroids
• Understanding the relation between water in meteorites and in asteroids
• Can the presence of water and organic molecules on asteroids help us identify the parent bodies of water-rich and organic-rich meteorites?
• How can the study of water and organics in meteorites and asteroids help constrain models of Solar System formation and of the origin of Earth's water? 

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Workshop Details

1. General

   This two-day workshop will take place at the Paris Observatory downtown (77 Avenue Denfert-Rochereau, Paris 14) on the 29^th and 30^th of September, 2011. These are the Thursday and Friday before the EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting in Nantes, so it would be a convenient stop on your way there.   Our workshop will consist of a series of short invited presentations (15 -30 minutes), followed by long discussion sessions. The Preliminary Program for this meeting is already available here.

2. Abstract Format

   The abstract sould be a few hundred words, DPS or LPSC formats are acceptable in MS-Word or pdf format, one or two figures are allowed.

3. Directions and Hotel Information

   Observatoire de Paris
   61, Av. de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris
   Entrance: 77, Avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris
   Tel: 01.40.51.22.21
   Fax: 01.43.54.18.04

   Access:
   By Bus: line 38, 83 or 91 stop - Observatoire-Port Royal
   By Subway: stations Port Royal or Denfert-Rochereau. You can see these stations on a map
   From the airport of Roissy: take the RER B until Denfert Rochereau

   Map:
   

   Map of the Observatory of Paris:
   

   List of Hotels:

   Hôtel du Lion ** - situé à 56 mètres de la Place Denfert-Rochereau
   1 avenue Général Leclerc
   75014 Paris
   Tél 01 40 47 04 00
   Fax 01 43 20 38 18

   Hôtel Floridor * - situé à 60 mètres de la Place Denfert-Rochereau
   28 place Denfert-Rochereau
   75014 Paris
   Tél 01 43 21 35 53
   Fax 01 43 27 65 81

   Hôtel du Midi *** - situé à 158 mètres de la Place Denfert-Rochereau
   4 avenue René Coty
   75014 Paris
   Tél 01 43 27 23 25
   Fax 01 43 21 24 58

   Hôtel Le Lionceau - situé à 220 mètres de la Place Denfert-Rochereau
   22 rue Daguerre
   75014 Paris
   Tél 01 43 22 53 53
   Fax 01 43 22 22 68

   Hôtel des Voyageurs - situé à 259 mètres de la Place Denfert-Rochereau
   22 rue Boulard
   75014 Paris
   Tél 01 43 21 08 20
   Fax 01 43 21 08 21

   Hôtel Sophie Germain *** - situé à 351 mètres de la Place Denfert-Rochereau
   12 rue Sophie Germain
   75014 Paris
   Tél 01 43 21 43 75
   Fax 01 43 20 82 89

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Contact Information

Scientific Program: Please contact Humberto Campins.

Local Organization: Please contact Marcello Fulchignoni.

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