Dynamical capture and physical decay of short-period comets

Details Dynamical capture and physical decay of short-period comets Dynamical capture and physical decay of short-period comets

Nov 1985

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1985icar...64..308f&link_type=abstract

Icarus (ISSN 0019-1035), vol. 64, Nov. 1985, p. 308-319. Research supported by the Fundacao Jose Bonifacio.

Physics

41

Brightness Distribution, Capture Effect, Celestial Mechanics, Comet Nuclei, Comets, Perihelions, Evolution (Development), Sublimation, Terrestrial Planets

Scientific paper

The physical evolution of short-period (SP) comets to their complete destruction or deactivation is analyzed, paying particular attention to their brightness behavior resulting from physical changes. It is shown that the decrease in activity of SP comets due to dust mantle buildup may be interrupted or partially reversed by dust blowoffs that leave exposed areas of fresh ice. SP comets may thus be subject to random brightness fluctuations that render uncertain any derivation of their physical lifetime based on comparisons of their absolute brightness at different apparitions. As an alternative, the numerical integration of the whole sample of SP comet orbits by Carusi et al. (1984), under the assumption of a steady-state comet population, is used to derive an average lifetime of the order of 6000 yr for a typical SP comet of perihelion distance about one AU. This lifetime is consistent with the survival of some periodic comets on small perihelion distance orbits of long dynamical time scales.

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