Related papers: Does the Sun have a Dark Disk?
The inconsistency of the observed rotational velocity curve of the Milky Way with the current theory of gravitational dynamics is well documented. The curve implies the presence of significantly more mass, or dark matter, than is…
(Abridged) The solar system gas giant planets are oblate due to their rapid rotation. A measurement of the planet's projected oblateness would constrain the planet's rotational period. Planets that are synchronously rotating with their…
Meteorites, and in particular primitive meteorites (chondrites), are irreplaceable probes of the solar protoplanetary disk. We review their essential properties and endeavour to place them in astrophysical context. The earliest solar system…
On the scales of galaxies and beyond there is evidence for unseen dark matter. In this paper we find the experimental limits to the density of dark matter bound in the solar system by studying its effect upon planetary motion.
In general relativity, the tangential speed of objects in stable circular orbits is not uniquely described by the orbital radius and the mass present inside the orbital radius. This work presents a static, spherically symmetric spacetime…
Here we explore the possibility of extending to the Solar System scenario the combined residual approach employed for the deterination of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Earth-LAGEOS satellites system. After calculating the secular…
The Lense-Thirring precession of the longitude of perihelion of Mercury, as predicted by general relativity by using the value of the Sun's angular momentum S = 190 x 10^39 kg m^2 s^-1 from helioseismology, is -2.0 milliarcseconds per…
Solar oblateness has been the subject of several studies dating back to the nineteenth century. Despite diffculties, both theoretical and observational, tangible results have been achieved. However, variability of the solar oblateness with…
The opacity of spiral galaxy disks, from counts of distant galaxies, is compared to HI column densities. The opacity measurements are calibrated using the ``Synthetic Field Method'' from Gonzalez et al (1998) and Holwerda et al. (2005a).…
We review most dynamical constraints on the gravitational field of spiral galaxies in general, and of the Milky Way in particular. Such constraints are of prime importance for determining the characteristics of the putative dark matter…
Galactic rotation curves are often considered the first robust evidence for the existence of dark matter. However, even in the presence of a dark matter halo, other galactic-scale observations, such as the Baryonic Tully-Fisher Relation and…
The ubiquitous presence of dark matter in the universe is today a central tenet in modern cosmology and astrophysics. Ranging from the smallest galaxies to the observable universe, the evidence for dark matter is compelling in dwarfs,…
The gravitational influence of a second satellite on the rotation of an oblate moon is numerically examined. A simplified model, assuming the axis of rotation perpendicular to the (Keplerian) orbit plane, is derived. The differences between…
Celestial observations often exhibit inexplicable planetary dependencies when the timing of an observable is projected onto planetary heliocentric positions. This is possible only for incident, non-relativistic streams. Notably, the…
Mean densities of major and dwarf planets are possible to calculate by the values of the planets distance to the Sun, the mean densities of massive natural satellites of planets are computable by the satellites distance to the Sun and the…
Next-generation experiments allow for the possibility to testing the neutrino flavor oscillation model to very high levels of accuracy. Here, we explore the possibility that the dark matter in the current universe is made of two particles,…
Perturbations due to the planets combined with the non-Coulomb nature of the gravitational potential in the Sun imply that WIMPs that are gravitationally captured by scattering in surface layers of the Sun can evolve into orbits that no…
The young star AB Aurigae is surrounded by a complex combination of gas-rich and dust dominated structures. The inner disk which has not been studied previously at sufficient resolution and imaging dynamic range seems to contain very little…
Fragile volatile aggregates with extremely low albedo, gravitationally drawn into the solar system are likely from the dark matter dominating the universal mass. Characteristics of this meteoric population permitted avoiding detection…
We investigate the prospects for characterizing extrasolar giant planets by measuring planetary oblateness from transit photometry and inferring planetary rotational periods. The rotation rates of planets in the solar system vary widely,…