Quantitative material properties for meteoroids from interplanetary dust particles

Low-porosity, high-density meteoroids could be more common than porous aggregate meteoroids because hydration of porous aggregates initially embedded in ice is relatively fast even at low temperatures causing the collapse to partially and fully hydrated aggregates. Efficient hydration was possible because the matrix of such aggregates is dominated by highly metastable ferromagnesiosilica dust. Measured H/Fe ratios in comet dust support partial dust hydration. Aggregate densification is expressed in different shapes of the meteor light curve ranging from a humped (compound) to a classical-shape for massive hydrated meteors.