by JohnD » Sat Oct 08, 2005 10:56 am
All,
This object's appearance most reminded me of a barnacle covered rock, from which part of the colony has been ripped. Please note, I am NOT suggesting that Hyperion is animate, just suggesting an anologue.
In good conditions, and over a long (biological!) period of time, colonies of barnacles will crowd together and grow much longer tubes than usual. The impetus is pressure to reach food, just like tall thin saplings in a forest. The only internet pic that I can find does not show very long barnacle tubes, but I hope shows what I mean:
http://photos.astarwithin.com/archives/ ... nacles.php
The analogue lies in comparing how the Hyperion and barnacle tubes grow. The barnacle deposits limestone, extracted from seawater, on the lip of its tube. The tube grows in length as the barnacle competes with its neighbours to reach into clear water to feed.
If water vapour were being generated within Hyperion, and vented slowly through holes in a crust, then ice would be deposited on the lip of the vent as it hit the cold of space. The lip would grow while vapour continued to flow. Moreover, crowding of vents would lead to them growing with a hexagonal or polygonal section, just like barnacles or the tubes observed on Hyperion.
This begs the question on how vapour is generated within the object. The tubes themselves, their vapour content and the convection through them would insulate the core from an external source. Chemical reaction heat seems unlikely. Nuclear heat seems even more unlikely in such a small object, but what about fission rather than fusion heat? A situation similar to the Oklo natural reactor on Earth, accumulations of Uranium, moderated by normal water? See:
http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/factsheets/doeymp0010.shtml
John
All,
This object's appearance most reminded me of a barnacle covered rock, from which part of the colony has been ripped. Please note, I am NOT suggesting that Hyperion is animate, just suggesting an anologue.
In good conditions, and over a long (biological!) period of time, colonies of barnacles will crowd together and grow much longer tubes than usual. The impetus is pressure to reach food, just like tall thin saplings in a forest. The only internet pic that I can find does not show very long barnacle tubes, but I hope shows what I mean:
http://photos.astarwithin.com/archives/2005/03/barnacles.php
The analogue lies in comparing how the Hyperion and barnacle tubes grow. The barnacle deposits limestone, extracted from seawater, on the lip of its tube. The tube grows in length as the barnacle competes with its neighbours to reach into clear water to feed.
If water vapour were being generated within Hyperion, and vented slowly through holes in a crust, then ice would be deposited on the lip of the vent as it hit the cold of space. The lip would grow while vapour continued to flow. Moreover, crowding of vents would lead to them growing with a hexagonal or polygonal section, just like barnacles or the tubes observed on Hyperion.
This begs the question on how vapour is generated within the object. The tubes themselves, their vapour content and the convection through them would insulate the core from an external source. Chemical reaction heat seems unlikely. Nuclear heat seems even more unlikely in such a small object, but what about fission rather than fusion heat? A situation similar to the Oklo natural reactor on Earth, accumulations of Uranium, moderated by normal water? See: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/factsheets/doeymp0010.shtml
John