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Dynamical Evolution of the Oort Cometary Cloud

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2016

Paul R. Weissman
Paul R. Weissman*
Affiliation:
Earth and Space Sciences Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109 U.S.A.

Extract

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The dynamical evolution of comets in the Oort cloud under the influence of stellar perturbations has been modeled using Monte Carlo techniques. It is shown that the cloud has been depleted over the history of the solar system. Comets are lost from the cloud by direct ejection due to close stellar encounters, diffusion of aphelia to distances beyond the sun’s sphere of influence, or diffusion of perihelia into the planetary region where Jupiter and Saturn perturbations either eject them on hyperbolic trajectories or capture them to short-period orbits. The population of the cloud is estimated to be 1.0 – 1.5 × 1012 comets and the total mass is on the order of 1.9 earth masses. In addition to random passing stars, less frequent encounters with giant molecular clouds may play a significant role in randomizing the orbits of comets in the cloud and reducing the effective radius of the sun’s sphere of influence.

Type
Joint Discussions
Information
Highlights of Astronomy , Volume 6 , 1983 , pp. 363 - 370
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1983

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