Orbital evolution of giant comet-like objects

Details Orbital evolution of giant comet-like objects Orbital evolution of giant comet-like objects

Oct 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993cemda..57..113n&link_type=abstract

Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (ISSN 0923-2958), vol. 57, no. 1-2, p. 113-121

Mathematics

Probability

5

Chiron, Comets, Evolution (Development), Numerical Integration, Orbit Calculation, Orbital Elements, Solar Orbits, Planetary Orbits, Probability Theory, Saturn (Planet), Solar System

Scientific paper

We investigated by numerical integrations the long-term orbital evolution of four giant comets or comet-like objects. They are Chiron, P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 (SW1), Hidalgo, and 1992AD(5145), and their orbits were traced for 100-200 thousand years (kyr) toward both the past and the future. For each object, 13 orbits were calculated, one for the nominal orbital elements and other 12 with slightly modified elements based on the rms residual of the orbit determination and on the number of observations. As past studies indicate, their orbital evolution is found to be very chaotic, and thus can be described only in terms of probability. Plots of the semi-major axis (a) and perihelion distance (q) of the objects treated here seem to cross each other frequently, suggesting a possibility of their common evolutionary paths. About a half of all the calculated orbits showed q- or a-decreasing evolution. This indicates that, at least on the time scale in question, the giant comet-like ojects are possibly on a dynamical track that can lead to capture from the outer solar system. We could hardly find the orbits with perihelia far outside the orbit of Saturn (q greater than 15 AU). This is perhaps because the evolution of the orbits beyond Saturn is so slow that substantial orbital changes do not take place within 100-200 kyr.

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