Related papers: The Formation of Bilobate Comet Shapes through Sub…
We present time-series data on Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs) 17P/Holmes, 47P/Ashbrook-Jackson and 137P/Shoemaker-Levy 2. In addition we also present results from `snap-shot' observations of comets 43P/Wolf-Harrington, 44P/Reinmuth 2,…
About 25 per cent of `hot Jupiters' (extrasolar Jovian-mass planets with close-in orbits) are actually orbiting counter to the spin direction of the star. Perturbations from a distant binary star companion can produce high inclinations, but…
The dynamics of a rigid cometary nucleus is described by the evolutions of its center-of-mass and of its rotation state. Solar irradiation that reaches the surface of a cometary nucleus causes the sublimation of volatiles that form the coma…
Dinuclear systems that occur in the post-saddle to scission stage in nuclear fission process are special transient formations. The diabatic evolution at this stage is studied using the methods of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. A novel…
Super Earths and mini Neptunes likely have a wide range of atmospheric compositions, ranging from low-molecular mass atmospheres of H2 to higher molecular atmospheres of water, CO2, N2, or other species. Here, we systematically investigate…
The discovery of binary and triple asteroids in addition to the execution of space missions to minor celestial bodies in the past several years have focused increasing attention on periodic orbits around irregular-shaped celestial bodies.…
Cometary surfaces can change significantly and rapidly due to the sublimation of their volatile material. Many authors have investigated this evolution; Vincent et al. (2017) have used topographic data from all comets visited by spacecrafts…
We have investigated tiny molecular clumps in the Rosette Nebula. Radio observations were made of molecular line emission from 16 globulettes identified in a previous optical survey. In addtion, we collected images in the NIR broad-band…
The asteroid (4) Vesta, parent body of the Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite meteorites, is one of the first bodies that formed, mostly from volatile-depleted material, in the Solar System. The Dawn mission recently provided evidence that…
Comets are classified from their orbital characteristics into two separate classes: nearly-isotropic, mainly long-period comets and ecliptic, short-period comets. Members from the former class are coming from the Oort cloud. Those of the…
We consider the origin of compact, short-period, Jupiter-mass planets. We propose that their diverse structure is caused by giant impacts of embryos and super-Earths or mergers with other gas giants during the formation and evolution of…
The zonal flow in Jupiter's upper troposphere is organized into alternating retrograde and prograde jets, with a prograde (superrotating) jet at the equator. Existing models posit as the driver of the flow either differential radiative…
The solar system is dusty, and would become dustier over time as asteroids collide and comets disintegrate, except that small debris particles in interplanetary space do not last long. They can be ejected from the solar system by Jupiter,…
The recently observed population of 540 free-floating Jupiter-mass objects, including 40 dynamically soft pairs in the Trapezium cluster have raised interesting questions on their formation and evolution. We test various scenarios for the…
Comet 103P/Hartley 2 has diurnally controlled, CO2-driven activity on the tip of the small lobe of its bilobate nucleus. Such activity is unique among the comet nuclei visited by spacecraft, and suggests that CO2 ice is very near the…
The discovery of $N_{\rm pp} = 40$ Jupiter-mass binary objects (JuMBOs) alongside $N_{\rm p} = 500$ free-floating Jupiter-mass objects (JMOs) in the Trapezium cluster's central portion raises questions about their origin…
The eccentric shape of the debris disk observed around Fomalhaut was first attributed to Fom b, a companion detected near the belt inner-edge, but new constraints on its orbit revealed that it is belt-crossing, highly eccentric $(e \sim…
The turbulent environment from which stars form may lead to misalignment between the stellar spin and the remnant protoplanetary disk. By using hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we demonstrate that a wide range of stellar…
Comets can be divided into two groups: type I, characterized by high gas/dust ratio, low polarization, and a weak or absent 10 micron silicate feature, and type II, for which a low gas/dust ratio, high polarization, and strong silicate…
Anisotropic outgassing from comets exerts a torque sufficient to rapidly change the angular momentum of the nucleus, potentially leading to rotational instability. Here, we use empirical measures of spin changes in a sample of comets to…