Computer Science
Scientific paper
Apr 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja....10308p&link_type=abstract
EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #10308
Computer Science
Scientific paper
The giant planets in the Solar System each have two groups of satellites. The regular satellites move along nearly circular orbits in the planet's orbital plane, revolving about it in the same sense as the planet spins. In contrast, the so-called irregular satellites are generally smaller in size and are characterized by large orbits with significant eccentricity, inclination or both. The differences in their characteristics suggest that the regular and irregular satellites formed by different mechanisms. The regular satellites have most certainly formed in an accretion disk extending out to tens of planetary radii, like miniature Solar Systems. Irregular satellites, on the contrary, are believed to be planetesimals captured during the final stages of the planet's formation. Before 1997, the irregular satellite inventories of the gas giants where pourly known (Jupiter: 8, Saturn: 1, Uranus: 2, Neptune: 2). Since then, our team have been conducting a series of systematic and complete searches around the giant planets, discovering 12 confirmed satellites around Saturn, 6 around Uranus and 3 around Neptune plus a handfull of candidates. Sheppard et al. have identifyed 11 new irregular satellites around Jupiter while searching a small fraction of its stable region. These discoveries yield insights into the capture process of the satellites. Our team's tracking efforts have shown that the orbits of the Saturnian and Uranian irregular satellites fall into 'groups' in orbital space, ruling out independent capture and indicating that most of the moons we see today are the `children' of larger bodies that were captured long ago and then collisionally fragmented during the lifetime of the solar system.
Gladman Brett
Grav Tommy
Holman Matt
Kavelaars John J.
Nicholson Phil
No associations
LandOfFree
The new view of the irregular planetary satellite systems 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 The new view of the irregular planetary satellite systems, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The new view of the irregular planetary satellite systems will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-844850