Author Topic: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!  (Read 69415 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 37661
  • Country: au
    • EEVblog
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #125 on: January 29, 2016, 08:57:23 pm »
Blue ice is a thing of the past. Modern airliners (Airbus and Boeing) have closed vacuum systems with clean flush water draining into waste tanks.

That's seems to be the consensus on that, so I think that can be ruled out.
Someone mentioned actual ice forming on the plane by the time it gets to my place (30km out or so) it might have enough height for that  :-//
 

Offline HAL-42b

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 423
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #126 on: January 29, 2016, 09:07:35 pm »
Someone mentioned actual ice forming on the plane by the time it gets to my place (30km out or so) it might have enough height for that  :-//

That is possible but unlikely to do any damage.

 

Offline JazzHarper

  • Contributor
  • Posts: 10
  • Country: us
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #127 on: January 29, 2016, 10:01:07 pm »
It's estimated, based on meteorite finds in desert areas, that meteorites larger than 10g reach the surface of the earth at a rate of 1 per million km2 per year.  Dave's solar panel installation has an area of 1.93e10-5 km2, so the probability of an impact on the array in any given year would be 1.93e10-11.  That's 1 in 52 billion, if my math is correct.  Meteorites smaller than 10g comprise the vast majority of mass that falls to earth, but have very little kinetic energy when they reach the surface; they are essentially dust.
 

Offline Fungus

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 16560
  • Country: 00
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #128 on: January 29, 2016, 10:33:56 pm »
It's estimated, based on meteorite finds in desert areas, that meteorites larger than 10g reach the surface of the earth at a rate of 1 per million km2 per year.  Dave's solar panel installation has an area of 1.93e10-5 km2, so the probability of an impact on the array in any given year would be 1.93e10-11.  That's 1 in 52 billion, if my math is correct.

Dave's a lucky guy!
 

Offline jnissen

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 63
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #129 on: January 29, 2016, 10:50:23 pm »
It has to be a rock or hard ball. I don't buy the micro-metorite or even a larger meteorite theory. Way to low of probability. Much more likely to have a rock thrown up from a lawn mower. I have panels in my back yard and I have to be very careful when mowing as I was warned by the installer that rocks from mowing are a common cause of panel damage. I use a lawn tractor with a 22 HP motor and three blade deck. When it gets hold of a rock it can toss it an amazing distance and terrific force. I know this as I have had to change the mower blades a time or two. The impact ring seems to show it may have even been a ball that may have been launched by a mower. I unfortunately find balls in the grass all too often as my dog will carry these things into the yard. Tennis balls get ripped to shreds but a baseball or hard ball turns into a dangerous projectile.

Perhaps these guys live near you Dave? https://youtu.be/dRS5mBt6J-o
« Last Edit: January 29, 2016, 11:26:42 pm by jnissen »
 

Offline Brumby

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 12288
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #130 on: January 30, 2016, 01:10:27 am »
The small pointy dent on the back doesn't seem to be in the centre of the two bigger circles if you know what I mean. So I wonder if the centre of the crater on the front lines up with this small dent, or with the big circles?

I noticed that as well - and I find your question an interesting one.  I suspect the ding out the back will line up with the fine point of impact at the front, but I am interested in how the ripple impact pattern on the back lines up with the front face.



Dave - if you have a moment, can you check that?


I'm thinking the pointy bit of an object hits first, causing the crushed point of intrusion - but that this was a bit off centre with the bulk of the object's mass then impacting the glass with more of a blunt force trauma.  The pointy bit causes the ding out the back and the bulk mass the ripple impact pattern.

Object could be a rock with a pointy bit - or a cricket ball with a nail stuck in it.
 

Offline Dinsdale

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 77
  • Country: us
    • pretzelogic
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #131 on: January 30, 2016, 01:35:13 am »
I think you can draw a straight line between any two points.
This can't be happening.
 

Offline SL4P

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2318
  • Country: au
  • There's more value if you figure it out yourself!
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #132 on: January 30, 2016, 03:51:28 am »
I'm still in - for a 12mm (1/2-inch) nut or such falling from a plane at 25,000 feet.  It would hit and bounce maybe 10-20m at that speed/angle/distance.
Don't ask a question if you aren't willing to listen to the answer.
 

Offline Brumby

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 12288
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #133 on: January 30, 2016, 06:31:28 am »
Don't forget - Sydney is a waypoint for air traffic passing through.  It's not uncommon for flights from New Zealand to pass overhead at 30,000ft or more on their way to Asia, for example..
 

Offline PeterL

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 180
  • Country: nl
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #134 on: January 30, 2016, 08:07:30 am »
Blue ice is a thing of the past. Modern airliners (Airbus and Boeing) have closed vacuum systems with clean flush water draining into waste tanks.

That's seems to be the consensus on that, so I think that can be ruled out.
Someone mentioned actual ice forming on the plane by the time it gets to my place (30km out or so) it might have enough height for that  :-//

You could check on flightradar24.com or similar sites at which height the big birds pass over your house.
 

Offline Brumby

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 12288
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #135 on: January 30, 2016, 08:20:00 am »
You could check on flightradar24.com or similar sites at which height the big birds pass over your house.

I have the App on my phone - and I often check when I hear something overhead.  That's how I know about the NZ flights to Asia...
 

Offline PeterL

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 180
  • Country: nl
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #136 on: January 30, 2016, 08:26:53 am »
The small pointy dent on the back doesn't seem to be in the centre of the two bigger circles if you know what I mean. So I wonder if the centre of the crater on the front lines up with this small dent, or with the big circles?

I noticed that as well - and I find your question an interesting one.  I suspect the ding out the back will line up with the fine point of impact at the front, but I am interested in how the ripple impact pattern on the back lines up with the front face.



Dave - if you have a moment, can you check that?


I'm thinking the pointy bit of an object hits first, causing the crushed point of intrusion - but that this was a bit off centre with the bulk of the object's mass then impacting the glass with more of a blunt force trauma.  The pointy bit causes the ding out the back and the bulk mass the ripple impact pattern.

Object could be a rock with a pointy bit - or a cricket ball with a nail stuck in it.

I have no idea about the construction of these pannels, but maybe the pointy bit is something between the layers, like a spacer or so. Knowing how everything lines up would certainly give a better insight in this matter.
 

Offline SeanB

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 16272
  • Country: za
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #137 on: January 30, 2016, 09:07:43 am »
I would guess it is space debris, probably a deorbited Progress vehicle, or the remains of the launch vehicle upper stage as it deorbited and burned up on re-entry into the atmosphere on its way to final impact in the South Pacific Ocean. As it hits the upper atmosphere you get stress and compression heating, which ablates small parts off the vehicle as it descends on the final part of the orbit, taking small pieces of debris off along the way. Sydney is on the right path for the final orbit path to pass over,  and the craft will be low enough at the time that it will be experiencing significant stress and heating.



Orbital path of MIR, and you can see that the final landing site was close to Australia, while the ISS path does often pass over Sydney, especially in the summer months.

http://www.satview.org/spacejunk.php

Depending on when the damage was done, it could even be this one.

http://www.space.com/29344-falling-russian-spacecraft-reentry-tonight.html

http://earthsky.org/space/doomed-russian-spacecraft-to-fall-from-space




« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 09:13:05 am by SeanB »
 

Offline FrankT

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 176
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #138 on: January 30, 2016, 10:13:13 am »
I think it was a stone thrown by a lawn mover

I think it was a stone thrown by a Dxxkhead.
 

Offline Fungus

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 16560
  • Country: 00
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #139 on: January 30, 2016, 12:09:46 pm »
It has to be a rock or hard ball. I don't buy the micro-metorite or even a larger meteorite theory. Way to low of probability.

What does probability have to do with it?  :-//

Random shit happens all the time.

Dave didn't plan for this to happen. He wasn't sat there waiting for it. If he'd made a video last year saying, "I've just put my panels up, now let's wait for the meteorites...", then you could start calculating probabilities.

He didn't. Random shit happened. End of.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 02:50:36 pm by Fungus »
 

Offline Svuppe

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 92
  • Country: dk
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #140 on: January 30, 2016, 03:57:58 pm »
Probability or not, they do fall from time to time, and they have to land somewhere.
Here is one I have. 3 cm long, 12 grams and with 18% iron.
 

Offline Brumby

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 12288
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #141 on: January 30, 2016, 04:14:26 pm »
Hey Dave!!

Looks like we've found whodunnit....  >:D
 

Offline Brumby

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 12288
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #142 on: January 30, 2016, 04:16:38 pm »
But ... hmmmm ..... maybe not.  12g seems a bit light for the damage caused...


But the shape looks right  :D
 

Offline Lightages

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 4313
  • Country: ca
  • Canadian po
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #143 on: January 30, 2016, 04:32:22 pm »
Here is an example of what could have caused the damage. This is a iron nickel meteorite that I have that fell in Russia in 1947. It weighs 47g.
 

Offline 6581

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 79
  • Country: fi
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #144 on: January 30, 2016, 07:17:44 pm »
This thread is rapidly turning into "show us how your meteorite looks like." Does everyone here have their own meteorites?
 

Offline TeaNTronics

  • Contributor
  • Posts: 10
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #145 on: January 30, 2016, 10:21:19 pm »
i think it might be a good idea to put security camera on the roof facing the panels.
for monitoring the panels
« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 10:32:50 pm by TeaNTronics »
 

Offline Tinkerer

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 346
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #146 on: January 30, 2016, 11:57:02 pm »
Have you searched the area with a metal detector?

I don't have one.

Time for a metal detector build video...

Lol, I've been thinking exactly the same!

Also my thought. If it is an actual metorite that can be recovered, you are looking at something that could be worth some serious money. Collectors and the like will pay big dollars for these things. Especially in some cases if they have an interesting story.
I would be willing to bet that if it was a meteorite, it was metallic in composition.
 

Offline Don Hills

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 159
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #147 on: January 31, 2016, 12:05:27 am »
It might be enough height but it doesn't give much time for ice to form. For much of that 30 km the plane would be  climbing.

There was a Mythbusters episode (it's on Youtube) about "blue ice". Briefly, it forms at altitude and falls off on approach to landing. 
 

Offline VK3DRB

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2252
  • Country: au
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #148 on: January 31, 2016, 02:33:53 am »
I am sceptical. Your, er, "micrometeorite" is more likely from a neighbour who chucked a yonnie on your roof. A piece of bluestone with a sharp corner could hit the solar panel and bounce off, leaving little or no residue. Given the right shape and impact, the force could be huge. The particles in on the broken glass could be just ingressed dirt from the rain. You might want to check around your house for the projectile.
But I am not a complete sceptic. There is evidence there are aliens among us. The evidence is at US Immigration at airports, where there are two entry queues with signs above them, "US Citizens" and "Aliens".  :-DD
« Last Edit: January 31, 2016, 08:04:36 am by VK3DRB »
 

Offline G7PSK

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3859
  • Country: gb
  • It is hot until proved not.
Re: EEVblog #846 - Solar Panel Micrometeorite Impact!
« Reply #149 on: January 31, 2016, 10:34:13 am »
I still think it was a cricket ball that after impact went over the ridge. The shape of the dent on the under side of the panel is caused by the glass deflection on impact, fingers of glass deflected downwards.
 


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf