Canterbury researchers hunt for 'Space Dust' on Cathedral roof
Cathedral rooftop ideal 'hunting grounds' for micrometeorites
Researchers from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kent have been searching for micrometeorites, or ‘Space Dust’ on the roof of Canterbury Cathedral.
Micrometeorites are dust-sized particles that continuously rain down on the Earth from space and are integral to understanding the contents and origins of our solar system.
Having attracted media attention from the likes of The Guardian this week, the researchers explained that UK cathedrals have become a great ‘hunting ground’ for ‘urban’ micrometeorites because their size and inaccessibility means there is no human interference.
The particles, which are smaller than a few millimetres in diameter, largely come from comets and asteroids. They smash into the Earth’s atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles per hour, and, while many burn up in the process, some melt and resolidify to form tiny, distinctive spheres that are scattered across Earth’s surface.
Those that make it to Earth help us understand how much material from space reaches Earth and becomes part of the planet or its atmosphere, as well as telling us about the origins of the solar system.
Until recently, these precious particles were found in remote environments away from common human activities that create vast amounts of dust, such as the deep ocean floor and Antarctica.
Dr Penny Wozniakiewicz explains: ‘You want the site as undisturbed as possible. The dust is coming in everywhere, but the rooftops offer an opportunity to collect the dust and not have people trampling all over it.’
Another advantage of cathedral roofs is that good records are kept of construction work, so the ages of different sections of roof – and how long they have been gathering dust – is well documented.
Dr Matthias van Ginneken, who is also creating 3D printed models made from CT scans of the particles added: “While these particles are tiny, their importance is huge. They are useful to get a feel for the number of particles that are arriving at the surface. That can be related back to the number arriving at the top of the atmosphere, so we can learn about the contribution of this material to the Earth.”
The pair are due to return to Canterbury Cathedral in the near future, as well as undertaking a new search at Rochester Cathedral, before moving onto other cathedral sites across the UK.
