Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

On the origin and distribution of meteoroids

1970; American Geophysical Union; Volume: 75; Issue: 17 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1029/jb075i017p03468

2156-2202

J. S. Dohnanyi,

Space Satellite Systems and Control

Journal of Geophysical Research (1896-1977)Volume 75, Issue 17 p. 3468-3493 On the origin and distribution of meteoroids J. S. Dohnanyi, J. S. DohnanyiSearch for more papers by this author J. S. Dohnanyi, J. S. DohnanyiSearch for more papers by this author First published: 10 June 1970 https://doi.org/10.1029/JB075i017p03468Citations: 62AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Abstract The influence of collisional and radiative processes on the population of sporadic and shower meteoroids is examined. It is found that the observed distribution of sporadic meteoroids in the photographic and radio ranges is unstable: collisional processes would rapidly change the distribution of these particles if they are not replenished by a source. It is shown that, in order to maintain the distribution of these sporadic meteoroids in a steady-state condition, a source is needed that replaces the sporadic meteoroids destroyed by collisions. The mass distribution of the required source is calculated and found to agree with the distribution of bright radio-shower meteors, provided that the population index α of sporadic meteors (in the photographic and radio ranges) is taken to be α = 13/6. The evolution of the population in a meteor shower under the influence of collisions with sporadic meteoroids is also examined. Since small particles have shorter lifetimes (with respect to collisions) than do larger particles, the population of faint shower meteors is more strongly affected. It is found that the mass distribution of faint radio meteors in the major showers considered here agrees with the results of the analysis, provided that α = 13/6, for sporadic meteors. Taking α = 13/6 therefore provides self-consistency for analysis and observation, thereby providing new evidence favoring the cometary origin of meteors. The rate at which the population of sporadic meteoroids is losing mass is calculated and found to compare favorably with F. L. Whipple's 1967 estimate as well as his estimate of the rate at which comets are injecting meteoritic mass into the solar system. The influence of the Poynting-Robertson effect on the meteoroid mass distribution is found to be minor; collisional processes dominate the evolution of meteoroids in the faint and brighter radio range. The influence of radiation pressure may be profound. By using previous work by Harwit and geometrical optics, it is shown that the smallest masses present in the major meteoroid showers are in the range of 10−6 to 10−10 gram. This is precisely the mass range where a leveling off of the distribution of sporadic meteoroids is indicated by satellite penetration measurements; these measurements are therefore consistent with the cometary origin of sporadic meteoroids. These theoretical results may not apply to particles with masses of 10−12 gram or smaller (i.e., submicron particles, for which details of physical optics become important). References Bohn, J. L., W. M. Alexander, W. F. Simmons, Results of studies of thermal gradient effects on ceramic transducer sensors used in cosmic dust experiments, Space Res., 8, 588– 595, 1968a. Bohn, J. L., W. M. Alexander, A. Wever, Results of recent microparticle hypervelocity impact studies related to sensors of cosmic dust experiments, Space Res., 8, 596– 605, 1968b. Browne, I. C., K. Bullough, S. Evans, T. R. Kaiser, Characteristics of radio echoes from meteor trails, 2, The distribution of meteor magnitudes and masses, Proc. Phys. Soc. London, 69B, 83– 97, 1956. Dohnanyi, J. S., The meteoroid environment of the Apollo programBellcomm Rep. TR-65-211-5, 1965. Dohnanyi, J. S., Model distribution of photographic meteorsBellcomm Rep. TR-66-340-1, 1966. Dohnanyi, J. S., Mass distribution of meteors, Astrophys. J., 149, 735– 737, 1967a. Dohnanyi, J. S., Collisional model of meteoroidsBellcomm Rep. TR-67-340-3, 1967b. Dohnanyi, J. S., Interplanetary mediumNASA Rep. SP-150-315-319, 1987c. Dohnanyi, J. S., Collisional model of asteroids and their debris, J. Geophys. Res., 74, 2531– 2554, 1969. Elford, E. G., Incidence of meteors on the earth derived from radio observations, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 11, 121– 131, 1965. Elford, W. G., G. S. Hawkins, Meteor echo rates and the flux of sporadic meteors, Harvard Radio Meteor Proj. Res. Rep., 9, 1984. Erickson, J. E., Velocity distribution of sporadic photographic meteors, J. Geophys. Res., 73, 3721– 3726, 1968. Fechtig, H., U. Gerloff, J. H. Weihrauch, Results of cosmic dust collection on luster, J. Geophys. Res., 73, 5029– 5246, 1968. Gault, D. E., E. D. Heitowit, The partition of energy for hypervelocity impact craters formed in rock, Proc. Symp. Hypervelocity Impact, 6th, 2part 2, 419– 457, 1963. Gault, D. E., E. M. Shoemaker, H. J. Moore, Spray ejected from the lunar surface by meteoroid impactNASA Rep. TND-1767, 1963. Greenhow, J. S., Limitations of radar techniques for the study of meteors, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 7, 5– 17, 1963. Greenhow, J. S., J. E. Hall, The importance of initial trail radius on the apparent height and number of distributions of meteor echoes, Mon. Notic. Roy. Astron. Soc., 121, 183– 196, 1960. Harwit, M., Origins of the zodiacal dust cloud, J. Geophys. Res., 68, 2171– 2180, 1963. Hawkins, G. S., E. K. L. Upton, The influx rate of meteors in the earth's atmosphere, Astrophys. J., 128, 727– 735, 1958. Jacchia, L. G., Meteors, meteorites and comets: Inter-relations, Moon, Meteorites and Comets B. M. Middlehurst, G. P. Kuiper, 774– 798, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1963. Jacchia, L. G., F. Vernaini, R. E. Briggs, Analysis of the atmospheric trajectories of 413 precisely reduced photographic meteors, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 10, 1– 39, 1967. Jones, J., On the apparent mass distributions of underdense radio meteors, Can. J. Phys, 46, 2669– 2674, 1968. Kaiser, T. R., Radio echo studies of meteor ionization, Adv. Phys., Phil. Mag. Suppl., 2, 495– 544, 1953. Kaiser, T. R., The incident flux of meteors and the total meteoric ionization in meteors, Meteors T. R. Kaiser, 119– 130, Pergamon, New York, 1955. Kaiser, T. R., The determination of the incident flux of radiometeors II: Sporadic meteors, Mon. Notic. Roy. Astron. Soc., 123, 265– 271, 1961. Kashcheyev, B. L., V. N. Lebedinets, M. F. Lagutin, Meteoric Phenomena in the Earth's Atmosphere, In Russian, 260, Science Publishing House, Moscow, 1967. Lebedinets, V. N., Density of meteoric matter in the vicinity of the earth's orbit from radar observations of meteors, Engl. Transl., Soviet Astron.-AJ, 7, 549– 558, 1964. Lovell, A. C. B., Meteor Astronomy, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, London, 1954. McCrosky, R. E., A rapid graphical method of meteor trail reduction, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 11, 215– 224, 1957. McCrosky, R. E., A. Posen, Orbital elements of photographic meteors, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 4, 15– 84, 1961. McKinley, D. W. R., Meteor Science and Engineering, 309, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1961. Moore, H. J., D. E. Gault, The fragmentation of spheres by projectile impact, Astro-geologic Studies, U.S. Geol. Surv. Ann. Progr. Rep., 127– 150, 1965. Moore, H. J., F. G. Robertson, Hypervelocity impact craters in pumice, Astrogeologic Studies, U.S. Geol. Surv. Ann. Progr. Rep., 107– 125, 1966. Naumann, R. J., D. W. Jex, C. L. Johnson, Calibration of Pegasus and Explorer 23 detector panelsNASA Rep. TR R-321, 1969. Nilsson, C., Some doubts about the earth's dust cloud, Science, 153, 1242– 1246, 1966. Öpik, E. J., Collision probabilities with the planets and the distribution of interplanetary matter, Proc. Roy. Irish Acad., 54, 165– 199, 1951. Öpik, E. J., The stray bodies in the solar system, 2, The cometary origin of meteorites, Advances in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 301– 336, Academic, New York, 1966. Plavec, M., Meteor stream at early stages of evolution from meteors, Meteors T. R. Kaiser, 167– 176, Pergamon, New York, 1955. Plavec, M., On the evolution of meteor streams, Vistas in Astronomy, 2, 994– 998, Pergamon, New York, 1956. Radzievsky, V. V., The influence of anisotropically emitted solar radiation on the orbital motion of asteroids and meteorites, Astron. Zh., 29, 162– 170, 1952. Robertson, H. P., Dynamical effects of radiation on the solar system, Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc., 97, 423– 438, 1937. Shapiro, I. I., D. A. Lauman, G. Colombo, The earth's dust belt: Fact or fiction, J. Geophys. Res., 71, 5695– 5704, 1966. Simek, M., B. A. McIntosh, Meteor mass distribution from underdense trail echoes, Physics and Dynamics of Meteors L. Kresak, P. M. Millman, 362– 372, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 1968. Southworth, R. B., Space density of radio meteors, Smithsonian Astrophys. Obs. Spec. Rep., 239, 75– 98, 1967. van deHulst, H. C., Light Scattering by Small Particles, John Wiley, New York, 1962. Verniani, F., On the luminous efficiency of meteors, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 8, 141– 172, 1965. Verniani, F., G. S. Hawkins, On the ionizing efficiency of meteors, Astrophys. J., 140, 1590– 1600, 1964. Weiss, A. A., The distribution of the orbits of sporadic meteors, Aust. J. Phys., 10, 77– 102, 1957a. Weiss, A. A., The incidence of meteor particles upon the earth, Aust. J. Phys., 10, 397– 411, 1957b. Weiss, A. A., The distribution of meteor masses for sporadic meteors and three showers, Aust. J. Phys., 14, 102– 119, 1961. Whipple, F. L., A comet model, 1, The acceleration of the comet Encke, Astrophys. J., 111, 375– 395, 1950. Whipple, F. L., A comet model, 2, Physical relations for comets and meteors, Astrophys. J., 113, 464, 1951. Whipple, F. L., On the structure of the cometary nucleus, Moon, Meteorites and Comets B. M. Middlehurst, G. P. Kuiper, 639– 664, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1963. Whipple, F. L., On maintaining the meteoritic complex, Smithsonian Astrophys. Obs. Spec. Rep., 239, 1– 46, 1967. Whipple, F. L., L. G. Jacchia, Reduction methods for photographic meteor trails, Smithsonian Contrib. Astrophys., 1, 183– 206, 1957. Wyatt, S. P., F. L. Whipple, The Poynting-Robertson effect on meteor orbits, Astrophys. J., 111, 134– 141, 1950. Citing Literature Volume75, Issue1710 June 1970Pages 3468-3493 ReferencesRelatedInformation