Faculty of
Physics,
Bucharest
University
Astronomical
Institute,
Romanian
Academy
Investigation of meteor shower parent
bodies using various metrics
B. A. DUMITRU1,2,3,4, M.BIRLAN2,3, A. NEDELCU3,2, M. POPESCU3,2
1- Institute of Space Science (ISS), Magurele, Romania
2- Paris Observatory, Paris, France
3- Astronomical Institute of Romanian Academy, Bucharest Observatory,
Bucharest, Romania
4- Faculty of Physics, Bucharest University, Bucharest, Romania
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
ABSTRACT
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The present knowledge of meteor showers relate the small bodies of our Solar
System as supply sources for the meteor. Both comets and asteroids are
considered at the origin of meteor showers. The new paradigm of "active asteroids"
reveal a large field of investigation in finding the relationships between asteroids
and meteors. Processes like ejection and disaggregation at impacts, rotational
instabilities, electrostatic repulsion, radiation pressure, dehydration stress followed
by thermal fractures, sublimation of ices are at the origin of matter loss of asteroids.
Our objective is to find genetic relationships between asteroids and meteor shower
using metrics based on orbital elements. For this objective we selected three
metrics (Southworth & Hawkins, Asher et al, Jopek respectively), and the recent
MPC database and the more recent IAU meteor database shower.
From our analysis, 41 of meteor showers have probabilities to be produced (or to
be fuelled) by asteroids. Our sample of asteroids contains more than 1,000 objects,
all of them belonging to the Near-Earth Asteroid population. Into our sample, we
reproduce the association of 3200 Phaeton to Geminid meteor shower, as well as
the association of 1991 AQ to Northern delta Capricornids. Some of our
associations are puzzling while the results seem to diverge from the one of the
literature. A systematic approach concerning the physical properties of our sample
was performed and reinforced the link between asteroids and the associated
meteor shower.
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
RATIONALE
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Our present knowledge is that at the base of meteor showers is found to small bodies
of the solar system (comets and asteroids).
The processes which produce the fragments for meteor showers are [D. Jewitt, H.
Hsieh, J. Agarwal(2015)]:
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ejection and disaggregation at impacts
–
rotational instabilities
–
electrostatic repulsion
–
radiation pressure
–
dehydration stresses
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thermal fracture
–
sublimation of ice
The aim of this study was to determine
the relationship between asteroids at
Earth moving through meteoroid debris
the origin of meteor streams.
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
METRICS
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Southworth and Hawkins (1963)
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Jopek (1993)
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Asher, Clube and Steel (1993)
Orbital elements of an orbit (a – semimajor
axis, e - eccentricity, i - inclination, N - longitude
of the ascending node, Π - perihelion distance)
To obtain the possible parents of the meteor streams (A) with the help of the Dcriteria metrics listed above, we need to establish a limit value within the
associated asteroid (B) having the probability to be a parent, D(A,B) < D C, were Dc
is the maximum distance that can be considered a parent to that shower stream.
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
Threshold selection. (Left) Representation of medium associations objects per meteor shower vs
associated meteor showers. (Right) Representation of medium associations objects per meteor
shower vs D Cutoff.
Analysis procedure
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IAU Minor Planet Data Center for asteroids, over 700,000 objects, February 2016
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
Results
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1086 associated asteroids to 41 meteors showers (see fig. 5)
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All associated asteroids have near earth orbits (see fig. 5)
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
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IAU Meteor Data Center ( about 100 meteor showers, February 2016)
[Jenniskens P. (2004)].
http://www.astro.amu.edu.pl/~jopek/MDC2007
Data flow
Albedo of known selected NEAs. There is an important
fraction of low-albedo asteroids
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
The position of associated asteroids in the solar system, in a diagram of eccentricity vs semimajor axes. In the first representation we have all objects from the IAU Mineor Planet Center (all
asteroids - grey), all established meteor showers (red) and planets from Mercury to Jupiter
(green). The black rectangle represents an zoom were the used metrics found asteroids
associated with meteor showers. This zoom is an representation where we have all the
associated asteroids (1086 objects) by all metrics used (DACS - red, DSH- green, DH - blue) and the
associated meteor shower (violet).)
Conclusions
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53 asteroids associated by all metrics, with high probability
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320 asteroids associated by two metrics, medium probability
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15% of the associated asteroids are PHA
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands
Meteor showers associated by all metrics and the common associations. The high probability
represents asteroids that were associated by all used metrics and medium probability represents the
asteroids associated by two metrics. The asteroids that are underlined are associated to more then
one meteor shower with high probability. Asteroids that are bold were associated with other meteor
shower, but to medium probability. In this case the asteroid were left to high probability. In the case
of asteroids that are italic were associated to more then one meteor shower at medium probability.
IMC 2016, Egmond, Netherlands