Related papers: The Neptune Trojans - a new source for the Centaur…

A numerical simulation of the Oort cloud is used to explain the observed orbital distributions and numbers of Jupiter-family and Halley-type short-period comets. Comets are given initial orbits with perihelion distances between 5 and 36 AU,…

The short period Jupiter family comets (JFCs) are thought to originate in the Kuiper Belt; specifically, a dynamical subclass of the Kuiper Belt known as the `scattered disk' is argued to be the dominant source of JFCs. However, the best…

Large-scale simulations of the Centaur population are carried out. The evolution of 23328 particles based on the orbits of 32 well-known Centaurs is followed for up to 3 Myr in the forward and backward direction under the influence of the 4…

Kuiper Belt Objects, or more generally Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), are planetesimals found beyond the orbit of Neptune. Some TNOs evolve onto Neptune-crossing orbits and become Centaurs. Many Centaurs, in turn, reach Jupiter-crossing…

We explore planetary migration scenarios for formation of high inclination Neptune Trojans (NTs) and how they are affected by the planetary migration of Neptune and Uranus. If Neptune and Uranus's eccentricity and inclination were damped…

The Trojan asteroids provide a unique perspective on the history of Solar System. As a large population of small bodies, they record important gravitational interactions and dynamical evolution of the Solar System. In the past decade,…

Both Centaurs and trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) are minor bodies found in the outer Solar System. Centaurs are a transient population that moves between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune, and they probably diffused out of the TNOs. TNOs…

Although the majority of Centaurs are thought to have originated in the scattered disk, with the high-inclination members coming from the Oort cloud, the origin of the high inclination component of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) remains…

In this work, we investigate the dynamical stability of pre-formed Neptune Trojans under the gravitational influence of the four giant planets in compact planetary architectures, over 10 Myr. In our modelling, the initial orbital locations…

Voyager 2 observations revealed that the internal luminosity of Neptune is an order of magnitude higher than that of Uranus. If the two planets have similar interior structures and cooling histories, the luminosity of Neptune can only be…

It has long been assumed that the planet Jupiter acts as a giant shield, significantly lowering the impact rate of minor bodies upon the Earth, and thus enabling the development and evolution of life in a collisional environment which is…

Solar system Centaurs originate in transneptunian space from where planet orbit crossing events inject their orbits inside the giant planets' domain. Here, we examine this injection process in the three-body problem by studying the orbital…

The stability of Trojan type orbits around Neptune is studied. As the first part of our investigation, we present in this paper a global view of the stability of Trojans on inclined orbits. Using the frequency analysis method based on the…

The minor planets on orbits that are dynamically stable in Neptune's 1:1 resonance on Gyr timescales were likely emplaced by Neptune's outward migration. We explore the intrinsic libration amplitude, eccentricity, and inclination…

The Neptune desert is no longer empty. A handful of close-in planets with masses between those of Neptune and Saturn have now been discovered, and their puzzling properties have inspired a number of interesting theories on the formation and…

The current giant planet region is a transitional zone where transneptunian objects (TNOs) cross in their way to becoming Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs). Their dynamical behavior is conditioned by the intrinsic dynamical features of TNOs and…

The source of impactors capable of producing the cratering asymmetry on Triton is open to debate. While hyperbolic comets are the likely source of impactors, the theoretically predicted crater distribution due to impacts from comets is…

So-called 'dark comets' are small, morphologically inactive near-Earth objects (NEOs) that exhibit nongravitational accelerations inconsistent with radiative effects. These objects exhibit short rotational periods (minutes to hours), where…

We present results of thermal evolution calculations for objects originating in the Kuiper belt and transferring inwards, to the region of the outer planets. Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) are considered to be part of a reservoir that supplies…

It was shown in previous works the existence of weakly chaotic orbits in the plutino population that diffuse very slowly. These orbits correspond to long-term plutino escapers and then represent the plutinos that are escaping from the…