Physics
Scientific paper
Feb 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005dpps.conf..289c&link_type=abstract
Dynamics of Populations of Planetary Systems, Proceedings of IAU Colloquium #197, held 31 August - 4 Spetember, 2004 in Belgrade
Physics
6
Comets, Orbit Determination, Nongravitational Accelerations.
Scientific paper
The orbital motion of comets is difficult to characterize accurately due to the rocket-like outgassing of material from the cometary nucleus. The resulting nongravitational accelerations often appear to be fundamentally stochastic in nature and thus pose severe modeling challenges in orbit determination, especially when the comet has been observed for many revolutions. Even so, new techniques have arisen in recent years that give new insight, not only into the motion of the comets, but also into their physical characteristics and spin states. These approaches include modeling of spin axis precession over many decades and the consideration of the seasonal variation in the thrust from discrete jets acting on a rotating nucleus. Such advances have been enabled, in part, by the increasing efforts and capabilities of comet observers worldwide as more and more comets with longer and longer observing arcs become available for study. In this review we specifically consider the application of the Rotating Jet Model to several space mission targets, indicating how this model can often be used to infer the orientation of a comet's spin axis.
Chesley Steven R.
Yeomans Donald Keith
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