SOLAR GASES IN METEORITES: THE ORIGIN OF CHONDRITES AND C1 CARBONACEOUS CHONDRITES

Because of their short cosmic ray exposure ages, chondritic meteorites are more likely to have been broken off from parent bodies in Earth-crossing orbits than from parent bodies in the asteroid belt. The radii of the objects now in the vicinity of the Earth (Apollo and Amor objects) are too small to be unfragmented asteroids of the theory for the origin of gas-rich meteorites of Anders. Because of the abundant evidence for very heavy shock and reheating among L- and H-chondrites, I conclude that the asteroidal origin for the ordinary chondrites is still the most likely. A cometary origin for the CI chondrites is examined. Regolith and megaregolith do not necessarily have to be formed by impacts on the cometary nucleus. The short-period comet Encke receives about 1/10 the solar-wind flux of a belt asteroid at 2.5 AU in its present orbit. The thickness of the megaregolith (C1 chondrites) is estimated between 0.1 and 0.3 km. Stirring of the megaregolith without substantial loss of dust from the comet might occur when the comet is transitional between “active” and “dead.” The consolidation of C1- “dust” into rock is somewhat problematic, but if liquid water and water vapor have played a role, then a crust rich in solar gases might form in the outer regions of a comet. A testable alternative explanation is suggested, namely that the solar gases in the C1 chondrites do not come from the Sun.     

Comets and asteroids in the Taurid complex: Remarks on a possible common origin

A supposition about the common origin of some cometary and asteroidal members of the Taurid complex is analyzed on the basis of their orbital evolution. It is shown that moments, in which the longitudes of perihelion of comet P/Encke, object (2201) Oljato and six other near-Earth asteroids amount to the value of longitude of perihelion of comet 1967 II Rudnicki, are close to the moment of previous perihelion passage of this long-period comet. Although the conjecture about the membership of comet Rudnicki in the Taurid complex is controversial one, nevertheless the presented results seem to be interesting in itself, and yield a contribution in favour of the hypothesis of the breakup of a giant comet some 10⁴ – 10⁵ years ago in the inner Solar System.     

Orbital Elements of 2004 Perseid Meteoroids Perturbed by Jupiter

Jupiter and Saturn produce important gravitational impulses on meteoroids released by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The meteoroids from this comet once released follow retrograde orbits that during their periodic approaches to these planets (within 1.6 and 0.9 A.U., respectively) are impulsed gaining orbital energy. This perturbation effect is translated into a net inward shift in the node of the perturbed meteoroids. Such geometry with Jupiter occurred in 2004 over a meteoroid trail ejected by this comet during the 1862 A.D. return of the comet to perihelion. In order to study the predicted outburst produced by one-revolution meteoroids, the Spanish Photographic Meteor Network (SPMN) performed an extensive campaign. As a part of this observational effort here are presented 10 accurate meteoroid orbits. We discuss their origin by comparing them with the theoretical orbital elements of the dust trails intercepting the Earth during the 2004 Perseid return.     

Note on the structure of comet nuclei

The recent developments in cometary studies suggest rather low mean densities and weak structures for the nuclei. They appear to be accumulations of fairly discrete units loosely bound together, as deduced from the observations of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 during its encounter with Jupiter. The compressive strengths deduced from comet splitting by Öpik and Sekanina are extremely low. These values are confirmed by theory developed here, assuming that Comet P/Holmes had a companion that collided with it in 1892. There follows a short discussion that suggests that the mean densities of comets should increase with comet dimensions. The place of origin of short-period comets may relate to these properties.     

On the Return of Comet Grigg–Skjellerup

Comet Grigg–Skjellerup must return to its perihelion on November 29, 2002. Before that, it will pass by Jupiter at a distance of 0.5 AU. A simulation of the meteor swarm that is related to this comet in origin has been made for 19 perihelia since 1907. Particles ejected from the nucleus at velocities ±40 m/s in the direction perpendicular to its radius vector are concentrated around the comet and do not approach the Earth, while for particles ejected at velocities ±60 m/s, conditions for the encounter with Jupiter are different; they approach Jupiter to a distance of 0.1 AU, then pass near the Earth's orbit at a distance of 0.01 AU. However, these particles have substantially different radiant coordinates and hardly form a flow of sufficient density.     

Observational Constraints On Surface Characteristics Of Comet Nuclei

Direct observations of the nuclear surfaces of comets have been difficult; however a growing number of studies are overcoming observational challenges and yielding new information on cometary surfaces. In this review, we focus on recent determinations of the albedos, reflectances, and thermal inertias of comet nuclei. There is not much diversity in the geometric albedo of the comet nuclei observed so far (a range of 0.025 to 0.06). There is a greater diversity of albedos among the Centaurs, and the sample of properly observed TNOs(2) is still too small. Based on their albedos and Tisser and invariants, Fernández et al. (2001) estimate that about 5% of the near-Earth asteroids have a cometary origin, and place an upper limit of 10%. The agreement between this estimate and two other independent methods provide the strongest constraint to date on the fraction of objects that comets contribute to the population of near-Earth asteroids. There is a diversity of visible colors among comets, extinct comet candidates, Centaurs and TNOs. Comet nuclei are clearly not as red as the reddest Centaurs and TNOs. What Jewitt (2002) calls ultra-red matter seems to be absent from the surfaces of comet nuclei. Rotationally resolved observations of both colors and albedos are needed to disentangle the effects of rotational variability from other intrinsic qualities. New constraints on thermal inertia of comets are consistent with previous independent estimates. The thermal inertia estimates for Centaurs 2060 Chiron and 8405 Asbolus are significantly lower than predicted by thermal models, and also lower than the few upper limits or constraints known for active, ordinary nuclei.     

The provenance and evolution of comets

The process of comet formation through the hierarchical aggregation of originally submicron-sized interstellar grains to form micron-sized particles and then larger bodies in the protoplanetary disc, culminating in the formation of planetesimals in the disc extending from Jupiter to beyond Neptune, is briefly reviewed. The ‘planetesimal’ theory for the origin of comets implies the existence of distinct cometary reservoirs, with implications for the immediate provenance of observed comets (both long-period and short-period) and their evolution as a result of planetary perturbations and physical decay, for example splitting and sublimation. The principal mode of cometary decay and collisional interaction with the terrestrial planets is through the formation and evolution of streams of cometary debris and hitherto undiscovered ‘families’ of cometary asteroids. Recent dynamical results, in particular the sungrazing and sun-colliding end-state for short-period comet and asteroid orbits, are briefly discussed.     

The enigma of comet nuclei

Results of space missions to in-situ study comets and the derived current challenges to better understand the properties of comet nuclei are discussed and summarized shortly, particularly in view of the origin of comets in the protoplanetary disk. The main conclusion is that we are far away from a complete understanding of comets. This frontier is yet wide open. Critical items are described and new aspects have been introduced.     

Model of the Origin of Planetary Comet Families

The process of the transition of a comet from an initial heliocentric parabolic orbit into a heliocentric elliptical (parabolic with different parameters or hyperbolic) trajectory is analyzed in terms of a pairwise three-dimensional two-body problem: Sun-comet and planet-comet. For the first time, analytical formulas are reported for the orbital parameters of the comet after it escapes the sphere of influence of a planet and is captured by the gravitational field of the Sun. The proposed model can explain the origin of the known families of short-period comets and allows for the prediction of the existence of uncatalogued short- and long-period comets and meteor showers. The model is used to localize the space-time domains to search for new comets and meteor showers in the Solar System.__________Translated from Astronomicheskii Vestnik, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2005, pp. 281–287.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Perov.     

The key role of massive stars in Oort cloud comet dynamics

The effects of a sample of 1300 individual stellar encounters spanning a wide range of parameter values (mass, velocity and encounter distance) are investigated. Power law fits for the number of injected comets demonstrate the long range effect of massive stars, whereas light stars affect comets mainly along their tracks. Similarly, we show that the efficiency of a star to fill the phase space region of the Oort cloud where the Galactic tides are able to inject comets into the observable region - the so-called “tidally active zone” (TAZ) - is also strongly dependent on the stellar mass. Power laws similar to those for direct injection are obtained for the efficiency of stars to fill the TAZ. This filling of the tidally active zone is crucial for the long term flux of comets from the Oort cloud. Based on long-term Monte Carlo simulations using a constant Galactic tide and a constant flux of stellar encounters, but neglecting the detailed effects of planetary perturbations, we show that this flux essentially results from a two step mechanism: (i) the stellar injection of comets into the TAZ; and (ii) the tidal injection of TAZ comets into the loss cone. We find that single massive stars are able to induce “comet drizzles” - corresponding to an increase of the cometary flux of about 40% - which may last for more than 100 Myr by filling the TAZ to a higher degree than normal. It appears that the stars involved in this process are the same that cause comet showers.     

On the origin of interplanetary dust within recorded history

Abstract— The possibility of an abrupt origin of interplanetary dust as a result of a collision between asteroids or an extraordinary comet is considered. If all interplanetary dust were produced in one event within recorded history, it would have been visible from the Earth with the unaided eye. The rate, surface area, and brightness of asteroid collision remnants are derived. Ancient Chinese records are searched for extraordinary comets and bright pointlike objects with small angular motion and concentration to the ecliptic.     

Is Comet C/1853 E1 (Secchi) extrasolar?

Comet C/1853 E1 (Secchi) has a hyperbolic orbit with eccentricity 1.01060 and perihelion outside of the Earth's orbit. Integrating the orbit with barycentric coordinates backwards to 50000 AU, the approximate edge of the Oort cloud, shows that the orbit remains hyperbolic. This is still true even if plutoids additional to Pluto are included in the integration. Nor does including Galactic tidal and disc effects and possible nongravitational forces change the orbit to a high eccentricity ellipse. Although certain factors, such as unknown massive plutoids, gravitational effects by interstellar gas clouds, or unmodelled nongravitational forces operating on the comet, could change this situation, the tentative conclusion that the origin of this comet is extrasolar remains the one most consistent with the observations (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The August θ‐Aquillid fireballs and possible relationship with the asteroid 2004MB6

Three bright fireballs belonging to the August θ‐Aquillid (ATA) meteor shower were photographed by the Tajikistan fireball network in 2009. Two of them are classified as the meteorite‐dropping fireballs according to the determined parameters of the atmospheric trajectories, velocities, masses, and densities. Detection of the more dense bodies among cometary meteoroids points to a heterogeneous composition of the parent comet, and supports the suggestion that some meteorites might originate in the outer solar system, in the given case from the Jupiter‐family comet reservoir. A search for the stream's parent was undertaken among the near‐Earth asteroids (NEAs); as a result, the asteroid 2004MB6 was identified as a possible progenitor of the ATA meteoroid stream. Investigation of the orbital evolution of the 2004MB6 and the fireball‐producing meteoroid TN170809A showed that both objects have similar secular variations in the orbital elements during 7 kyr. The comet‐like orbit of the 2004MB6 and its association with the ATA shower suppose a cometary origin of the asteroid.     

Orientation-dependent effects in Oort's theory of comet origin II. Anisotropies in the distribution of long-period comet orbits

The statistical significance of anisotropies in the distribution of orbital orientations among the long-period and nearly parabolic comets is evaluated. It is suggested that these anisotropies are not the result of observational selection effects. A numerical model for the distribution of orbital orientations is constructed, based on Oort's theory of comet origin and the assumption that the observed anisotropies are caused by multiple planetary perturbations over the course of many perihelion passages. The model, which is restricted to comets with peri-helion distances less than 0.3AU, does not predict any significant anisotropies.     

Double station and spectroscopic observations of the Quadrantid meteor shower and the implications for its parent body

Object 2003 EH₁ was recently identified as the parent body of the Quadrantid meteor shower. The origin of this body is still uncertain. We use data on 51 Quadrantid meteors obtained from double-station video observations as an insight on the parent body properties. A data analysis shows that the Quadrantids are similar to other meteor showers of cometary origin in some aspects, but in others to Geminid meteors. Quadrantid meteoroids have partially lost volatile component, but are not depleted to the same extent as Geminid meteoroids. In consideration of the orbital history of 2003 EH₁, these results lead us to the conclusion that the parent body is a dormant comet.     

Dissimilarities in Perseid meteoroids

Abstract— A shutter-chopped, direct photograph of a 1980 Perseid meteor is discussed in which no shutter breaks are apparent. Evidence is considered that it is indeed a Perseid and that the phenomenon is the result of an extraordinary fragmentation of the meteoroid. Tentative evidence is presented for the existence in 1980 of a second radiant from which the apparently unchopped meteor and a second meteor, also showing marked fragmentation, emanated. The fragmentation of these two meteors and the concentration of their radiant are consonant with the concept of their origin from recently released material from the nearby parent comet.     

Evolution of Comet Nucleus Rotation

The secular evolution of comet nucleus rotation states subject to outgassing torques is studied. The dynamical model assumes that the nucleus inertia ellipsoid is axially symmetric. The outgassing torques acting on the surface are modeled using standard cometary activity formulae. The general rotational equations of motion are derived and separately averaged over the fast rotational dynamics terms and the comet orbit. Special cases where the averaging assumptions cannot be applied are evaluated separately. The modification of the comet orbit due to comet outgassing is neglected. Resulting from this analysis is a system of secular differential equations that describes the dynamics of the comet nucleus angular momentum and rotation state. We find that the qualitative secular evolution of the rotation state is controlled by a single parameter that combines parameters related to the comet orbit and parameters related to the nucleus surface geometry and activity. From this solution, we find qualitatively different evolutionary paths for comet nuclei whose entire surface is active, as compared to nuclei with only a single active region. For surface activity models between these extremes, we show that certain evolutionary paths are more likely than others. Additionally, our solution indicates that a comet nucleus' rotational angular momentum will tend to increase over time, potentially contributing to the observed phenomenon of comet nucleus splitting.     

Refractory materials in comet samples

Transmission electron microscope examination of more than 250 fragments, >1 μm from comet Wild 2 and a giant cluster interplanetary dust particle (GCP) of probable cometary origin has revealed four new calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs), an amoeboid olivine aggregate (AOA), and an additional AOA or Al‐rich chondrule (ARC) object. All of the CAIs have concentric mineral structures and are composed of spinel + anorthite cores surrounded by Al,Ti clinopyroxenes and are similar to two previous CAIs discovered in Wild 2. All of the cometary refractory objects are of moderate refractory character. The mineral assemblages, textures, and bulk compositions of the comet CAIs are similar to nodules in fine‐grained, spinel‐rich inclusions (FGIs) found in primitive chondrites and like the nodules may be nebular condensates that were altered via solid–gas reactions in the solar nebula. Oxygen isotopes collected on one Wild 2 CAI also match FGIs. The lack of the most refractory inclusions in the comet samples may reflect the higher abundances of small moderately refractory CAI nodules that were produced in the nebula and the small sample sizes collected. In the comet samples, approximately 2–3% of all fragments larger than 1 μm, by number, are CAIs and nearly 50% of all bulbous Stardust tracks contain at least one CAI. We estimate that ~0.5 volume % of Wild 2 material and ~1 volume % of GCP is in the form of CAIs. ARCs and AOAs account for <1% of the Wild 2 and GCP grains by number.     

Detection of CO and Ethane in Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner: Evidence for Variable Chemistry in the Outer Solar Nebula

Ethane and carbon monoxide were detected in a short-period comet of probable Kuiper Belt origin. Ethane is substantially less abundant compared with Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp, two comets from the giant-planet region of the solar nebula, suggesting a heliocentric gradient in ethane in precometary ices. It is argued that processing by X-rays from the young Sun may be responsible.