What is the shape of the debris after a
space collision? Two satellites collided sometime today, we don't have any details
of relevance yet, including the direction they were approaching each
other.
I want to know the shape of the debris cloud. It must have some standard characteristics for two objects close in size. Virtually everything rising above the orbit will return to the atmosphere and the same is true for everything shooting-off below. Such objects will keep moving up or down until they form an ellipse with the earth at a perigee.
Everything remaining in the orbit will spread out in some form of irregular expanding circle and will slowly form a very low density sphere around the earth.
Who, out there in blog land, actually knows what happens?
See the comment below for the answer to my questions. Thank god I have such great readers.