A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Comet 17P/Holmes: originally widely spreading dust particles from the 2007 explosion converge into an observable dust trail near the common nodes of the meteoroids' orbits
Authors: Lyytinen E, Nissinen M, Lehto HJ
Publication year: 2013
Journal: WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization
Number in series: 3
Volume: 41
Issue: 3
First page : 77
Last page: 83
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 1016-3115
Abstract
Meteoroids were ejected in the 2007 explosion of comet 17P/Holmes. They experienced a spread into elliptic orbits around the Sun. The cloud widened and apparently vanished altogether. We have now re-discovered this swarm of meteoroids. At exactly the opposite side of the Sun, the meteoroids converge again around the mutual node of the orbits (where the orbital planes cross each other). Later the particles re-converge at the original explosion site, all passing through the ``point of explosion''. Because of differences in the orbits this passage through the convergence point lasts for quite a while, maybe around two years. In spite of the long duration, the increase in surface brightness around these regions is expected to be enough to be observable in visible light. It could be observed as thermal IR in the mid infrared (15-25μm) corresponding to temperatures 200K-120K expected at distances 2AU-5AU, between the perihelion and the aphelion of the comet. We present here our observations on two nights of February 2013. We observed the meteoroids at the far away node, which is opposite of the explosion site relative to the Sun. The comet itself passed the observed region a little more than two-and-a-half months earlier in late December 2012. This is why the February 2013 observations had a better chance of success than observing the same spot on previous years as the meteoroids would have not reached this spot earlier. Another probably more prominent convergence is expected to happen at the 2007 explosion site. As seen from Earth it will appear to be at a different place in the sky than the 2007 outburst. We predict this to be observable starting in the autumn of 2013, probably around November and continuing for about two years. Based on the expected dispersion in the orbits and a purely gravitational solution we expect the effect to last almost two years, but due to solar radiation pressure, it will probably continue longer (Burns & Lamy, 1979). Observing both or either of these future convergences will give further information about the explosion itself and the effects of solar radiation pressure on particles of different sizes. Such information may be useful in the development of meteor outburst prediction models.
Meteoroids were ejected in the 2007 explosion of comet 17P/Holmes. They experienced a spread into elliptic orbits around the Sun. The cloud widened and apparently vanished altogether. We have now re-discovered this swarm of meteoroids. At exactly the opposite side of the Sun, the meteoroids converge again around the mutual node of the orbits (where the orbital planes cross each other). Later the particles re-converge at the original explosion site, all passing through the ``point of explosion''. Because of differences in the orbits this passage through the convergence point lasts for quite a while, maybe around two years. In spite of the long duration, the increase in surface brightness around these regions is expected to be enough to be observable in visible light. It could be observed as thermal IR in the mid infrared (15-25μm) corresponding to temperatures 200K-120K expected at distances 2AU-5AU, between the perihelion and the aphelion of the comet. We present here our observations on two nights of February 2013. We observed the meteoroids at the far away node, which is opposite of the explosion site relative to the Sun. The comet itself passed the observed region a little more than two-and-a-half months earlier in late December 2012. This is why the February 2013 observations had a better chance of success than observing the same spot on previous years as the meteoroids would have not reached this spot earlier. Another probably more prominent convergence is expected to happen at the 2007 explosion site. As seen from Earth it will appear to be at a different place in the sky than the 2007 outburst. We predict this to be observable starting in the autumn of 2013, probably around November and continuing for about two years. Based on the expected dispersion in the orbits and a purely gravitational solution we expect the effect to last almost two years, but due to solar radiation pressure, it will probably continue longer (Burns & Lamy, 1979). Observing both or either of these future convergences will give further information about the explosion itself and the effects of solar radiation pressure on particles of different sizes. Such information may be useful in the development of meteor outburst prediction models.
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