Free Libration in the Motion of the Galilean Satellites and the Reassessment of Tidal Effects

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

Numerical simulations of the orbits of the Galilean satellites are being carried out using realistic physical models in order to better understand their coupled orbital and thermal evolution. We are able to isolate from the simulated orbits the so-called free libration of the Laplace angle which is the primary quantity in the classical description of the tidal evolution of the Laplace resonance. The amplitude and period of the libration could only be estimated in the past through J. Lieske's motion theory in which they are two of the parameters fitted to observations. Our direct numerical simulations, together with standard digital signal processing, confirm Lieske's values. However, the commonly used formulae for tidal dissipation are incorrect because they do not take into account the large deviations from Keplerian ellipses due to the gravity field of Jupiter. While the formulae assume very small variations in eccentricity on the orbital time scale, those are, in fact, about one quarter of the orbital average. We will address this important issue.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Free Libration in the Motion of the Galilean Satellites and the Reassessment of Tidal Effects does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Free Libration in the Motion of the Galilean Satellites and the Reassessment of Tidal Effects, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Free Libration in the Motion of the Galilean Satellites and the Reassessment of Tidal Effects will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1235652

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.