Effect of solar radiation on a swarm of meteoric particles

The theory of the Poynting-Robertson effect is applied to the motion of meteors relative to a parent-comet describing an undisturbed elliptic orbit. It is shown that initially any emitted particle proceeds to move retrogressively away from the comet to a certain maximum angular distance (as seen from the Sun) depending on its s-value, and thereafter undergoes relative motion in the opposite forward direction. The time taken to reach this greatest elongation behind the comet is the same for all particles, and after twice this time the particles will have returned to zero angular displacement relative to the comet. As the inward radial displacement is of far smaller order of magnitude, this means that a swarm of particles will come together again simultaneously, and then move on forwards relative to the comet as they are drawn in slowly towards the Sun. For comet Encke the time for the elongation to return to zero is about 6600 y, for Halley it is about 2×10⁵ y, and for Tempel-Tuttle (1965 IV) just over 10⁵ y. Since this last comet is known to have been deflected from a long-period orbit to a short-period orbit in the year 126 A.D., the theory yields an upper limit to the s-values of about 2.3×10^–2 g cm^–2 for such of its particles as have spread right round the orbit to give rise to the annual November Leonids. Also, for the great meteor-storms associated with this comet, the particles are still moving close behind the comet itself, and their s-values must be about 6.2×10^–2 g cm^–2. This result together with their observed brightnesses suggest that the particles have an effective density little more than 0.1 g cm^–3.