Mathematics – Probability
Scientific paper
Dec 1981
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1981m%26p....25..507f&link_type=abstract
Moon and the Planets, vol. 25, Dec. 1981, p. 507-519.
Mathematics
Probability
18
Comets, Evolution (Development), Interplanetary Medium, Particle Collisions, Asteroids, Halley'S Comet, Mass Distribution, Orbital Elements, Probability Theory, Spatial Distribution
Scientific paper
The collision probabilities of comets with different orbital elements are computed to study the effects of collisions with interplanetary particles. It is found that: (1) collisions may have a non-negligible effect on the physical evolution of comets; (2) collisional lifetimes may under certain conditions be shorter than dynamical or vaporization lifetimes; (3) catastrophic collisions may help prevent long-period comets in retrograde orbits from reaching short-period orbits by orbital diffusion; (4) collisions may also produce nucleus brightness irregularities by leaving exposed regions of fresh volatile material; and (5) the increases in brightness of about one magnitude, or collisional mini-bursts, caused by decimeter-sized bodies may occur frequently on short-period comets when they pass through the asteroid belt. An example of such a mini-burst is that observed in comet Tempel-2 at about 3.0 AU in December 1978.
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