Modelling cometary meteoroid stream traverses of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft en route to Phobos

The Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) spacecraft is a JAXA mission to Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. MMX will be equipped with the Circum-Martian Dust Monitor (CMDM) which is a newly developed light-weight ($$\mathrm {650\,g}$$ 650 g ) large area ($$1\,\mathrm {m}^{2}$$ 1 m 2 ) dust impact detector. Cometary meteoroid streams (also referred to as trails) exist along the orbits of comets, forming fine structures of the interplanetary dust cloud. The streams consist predominantly of the largest cometary particles (with sizes of approximately $$100\,\mu \mathrm { m}$$ 100 μ m to 1 cm) which are ejected at low speeds and remain very close to the comet orbit for several revolutions around the Sun. The Interplanetary Meteoroid Environment for eXploration (IMEX) dust streams in space model is a new and recently published universal model for cometary meteoroid streams in the inner Solar System. We use IMEX to study the detection conditions of cometary dust stream particles with CMDM during the MMX mission in the time period 2024 to 2028. The model predicts traverses of 12 cometary meteoroid streams with fluxes of $$100\,\mu \mathrm { m}$$ 100 μ m and bigger particles of at least $$10^{-3}\,\mathrm {m}^{-2}\,\mathrm {day}^{-1}$$ 10 - 3 m - 2 day - 1 during a total time period of approximately 90 days. The highest flux of $$0.15\,\mathrm {m}^{-2}\,\mathrm {day}^{-1}$$ 0.15 m - 2 day - 1 is predicted for comet 114P/Wiseman-Skiff in October 2026. With its large detection area and high sensitivity CMDM will be able to detect cometary meteoroid streams en route to Phobos. Our simulation results for the Mars orbital phase of MMX also predict the occurrence of meteor showers in the Martian atmosphere which may be observable from the Martian surface with cameras on board landers or rovers. Finally, the IMEX model can be used to study the impact hazards imposed by meteoroid impacts onto large-area spacecraft structures that will be particularly necessary for crewed deep space missions.

How does the Lidov–Kozai mechanism protect Quadrantids meteoroid stream from close encounters with Jupiter?

<p>The dynamical evolution of simulated meteoroid stream of the Quadrantids ejected from the parent body of the asteroid (196256) 2003 EH1 expects possible scenario for resonant motion. We found a peculiar behavior for this stream. Here, we show that the orbits of some ejected particles are strongly affected by the Lidov–Kozai mechanism that protects them from close encounters with Jupiter. Lack of close encounters with Jupiter leads to a rather smooth growth in the parameter MEGNO (Mean Exponential Growth factor of Nearby Orbits) and the behavior imply the stable motion of simulation particles of the Quadrantids meteoroid stream. A rather smooth path with nearly constant semi-major axis is obtained due to lack of close encounters with Jupiter. The coupled oscillation of the three orbital parameters, e, i, and ω, for stable ejected particles is observed.</p> <p>However, close encounters with Jupiter are not treated by the Kozai formalism and can transfer particles away from the Kozai trajectories for unstable ejected particles over time. Other ejected particles have chaotic motion from simulations of the orbit of meteoroids are not affected by the Lidov – Kozai mechanism. We suppose that the reasons are the frequent close approaches of the ejected particles with Jupiter and they located near mean motion resonance 2:1J with Jupiter. The motion of these objects has considered to be chaotic in a long-time scale, and the close encounters with Jupiter are supposed to be the cause of the faster chaos. Another reason is that a non-resonant state near the mean motion resonance 2:1J has a strong influence on the motion of the Quadrantid meteor stream. This “weak chaos” is largely confined to the true anomaly. Consequently, the shape of the orbit can be computed reliably over much longer time scales than can the body’s position within the orbit. High value of the parameter MEGNO are due to frequent changes in semimajor axis induced by multiple close encounters with Jupiter near Hill sphere. We finally note that the chaotic behavior of the simulation particles of meteor stream may be caused not only by close encounter with planets but also by unstable mean motion or secular resonances.</p> <p>We conjecture that the reasons of chaos are the overlap of stable secular resonances and unstable mean motions resonances and close and/or multiple close encounters with the major planets. The orbits of some ejected particles are strongly affected by the Lidov–Kozai mechanism that protects them from close encounters with Jupiter that leads to a rather smooth growth in the parameter MEGNO and the behavior imply the stable motion of simulation particles of the Quadrantids meteoroid stream.</p> <p>The research was carried out within the state assignment of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (theme No. 0721-2020-0049)</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p>Abedin, A., Spurný, P., Wiegert, P., Pokorný, P., Borovi cka, J., Brown, P., 2015. On the age and formation mechanism of the core of the Quadrantid meteoroid stream. Icarus 261, 100–117.</p> <p>Cincotta, P.M., Girdano, C.M., Simo, C., 2003. Phase space structure of multi-dimensional systems by means of the mean exponential growth factor of nearby orbits. Phys. Nonlinear Phenom. 182 (3–4), 151–178.</p> <p>Chirikov, B.V., 1979. A universal instability of many-dimensional oscillator systems. Phys. Rep. 52 (5), 263–379.</p> <p>Galushina, T.Yu, Sambarov, G.E., 2017. The dynamical evolution and the force model for asteroid (196256) 2003 EH1. Planet. Space Sci. 142, 38.</p> <p>Galushina, T.Yu, Sambarov, G.E., 2019. Dynamics of asteroid 3200 Phaethon under overlap of different resonances. Sol. Syst. Res. 53 (3), 215–223.</p> <p>Gonczi, R., Rickman, H., Froeschle, C., 1992. The connection between Comet P/Machholz and the Quadrantid meteor. Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 254, 627.</p> <p>Hughes, D.W., Taylor, I.W., 1977. Observations of overdense Quadrantid radio meteors and the variation of the position of stream maxima with meteor magnitude. Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 181, 517.</p> <p>Kozai, Y., 1962. Secular perturbations of asteroids with high inclination and eccentricity. Astron. J. 67, 591–598.</p> <p>Lidov, M.L., 1962. The evolution of orbits of artificial satellites of planets under the action of gravitational perturbations of external bodies. Planet. Space Sci. 9, 719.</p> <p>Williams, I.P., Ryabova, G.O., Baturin, A.P., Chernitsov, A.M., 2004a. The parent of the Quadrantid meteoroid stream and asteroid 2003 EH1. Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 355 (4), 1171–1181.</p>

The relationship between comet C/1853 G1 (Schweizer) and the γ-Aquilids and 52 Herculids meteor showers

ABSTRACT We modelled several discrete parts of the meteoroid stream originating in comet C/1853 G1 (Schweizer). In a given model, the orbit of this parent comet was integrated in time backwards for a chosen period (10 000, 20 000, 40 000, or 80 000 yr) and, then, a cloud of 10 000 test particles was assumed to be ejected from the nucleus at the moment of the nearest comet’s perihelion passage. This set was subsequently integrated forward, up to the present. The showers related to the comet were predicted on the basis of the dynamical properties of the particles moving in orbits that approached close to the orbit of the Earth at the present. An uncertainty of the comet’s nominal orbit and its possible consequences on the predicted showers was estimated with a simultaneous following of a set of cloned orbits. We confirmed the proposed relationship between the comet and the γ-Aquilids, #531. Furthermore, our study yielded an indication that comet C/1853 G1 could also be the parent body of another shower, 52 Herculids, #605. We also found the real shower corresponding to the γ-Aquilids in three video data bases used. The 52 Herculids were identified in one of these data bases.

Characterization of the June epsilon Ophiuchids meteoroid stream and the comet 300P/Catalina

Aims. Prior to 2019, the June epsilon Ophiuchids (JEO) were known as a minor unconfirmed meteor shower with activity that was considered typically moderate for bright fireballs. An unexpected bout of enhanced activity was observed in June 2019, which even raised the possibility that it was linked to the impact of the small asteroid 2019 MO near Puerto Rico. Early reports also point out the similarity of the shower to the orbit of the comet 300P/Catalina. We aim to analyze the orbits, emission spectra, and material strengths of JEO meteoroids to provide a characterization of this stream, identify its parent object, and evaluate its link to the impacting asteroid 2019 MO. Methods. Our analysis is based on a sample of 22 JEO meteor orbits and four emission spectra observed by the AMOS network at the Canary Islands and in Chile. The meteoroid composition was studied by spectral classification based on relative intensity ratios of Na, Mg, and Fe. Heliocentric orbits, trajectory parameters, and material strengths were determined for each meteor and the mean orbit and radiant of the stream were calculated. The link to potential parent objects was evaluated using a combination of orbital-similarity D-criteria and backwards integration of the orbit of comet 300P and the JEO stream. Results. We confirm the reports of an unexpected swarm of meteoroids originating in the JEO stream. JEO meteoroids have low material strengths characteristic for fragile cometary bodies, and they exhibit signs of a porous structure. The emission spectra reveal slightly increased iron content compared to all other measured cometary streams, but they are generally consistent with a primitive chondritic composition. Further dynamical analysis suggests that the JEO stream is likely to originate from comet 300P/Catalina and that it was formed within the last 1000 yr. Over longer timescales, the meteoroids in the stream move to chaotic orbits due to the turbulent orbital evolution of the comet. Our results also suggest that the impact of the small asteroid 2019 MO on June 22 was not connected to the JEO activity.

Realistic gravitational focusing of meteoroid streams

ABSTRACT The number density and flux of a meteoroid stream is enhanced near a massive body due to the phenomenon known as gravitational focusing. The greatest enhancement occurs directly opposite the massive body from the stream radiant: as an observer approaches this location, the degree of focusing is unbound for a perfectly collimated stream. However, real meteoroid streams exhibit some dispersion in radiant and speed that will act to eliminate this singularity. In this paper, we derive an analytic approximation for this smoothing that can be used in meteoroid environment models and is based on real measurements of meteor shower radiant dispersion.

Long-period comet C/1963 A1 (Ikeya), the probable parent body of π-Hydrids, δ-Corvids, November α-Sextantids, and ϑ-Leonids

Aims. We study the meteoroid stream of the long-period comet C/1963 A1 (Ikeya) to predict the meteor showers originating in this comet. We also aim to identify the predicted showers with their real counterparts. Methods. We modeled 23 parts of a theoretical meteoroid stream of the parent comet considered. Each of our models is characterized by a single value of the evolutionary time and a single value of the strength of the Poynting–Robertson effect. The evolutionary time is defined as the time before the present when the stream is modeled and when we start to follow its dynamical evolution. This period ranges from 10 000 to 80 000 yr. In each model, we considered a stream consisting of 10 000 test particles that dynamically evolve, and their dynamics is followed via a numerical integration up to the present. At the end of the integration, we analyzed the mean orbital characteristics of particles in the orbits approaching Earth’s orbit, which thus enabled us to predict a shower related to the parent comet. We attempted to identify each predicted shower with a shower recorded in the International Astronomical Union Meteor Data Center list of all showers. In addition, we tried to separate, often successfully, a real counterpart of each predicted shower from the databases of real meteors. Results. Many modeled parts of the stream of comet C/1963 A1 are identified with the corresponding real showers in three video-meteor databases. No real counterpart is found in the IAU MDC photographic or radio-meteor data. Specifically, we predict five showers related to C/1963 A1. Two predicted showers are identified with π-Hydrids #101 and δ-Corvids #729. The third predicted shower is only vaguely similar to November α-Sextantids #483, when its mean orbit is compared with the mean orbit of the November α-Sextantids in the IAU MDC list of all showers. However, the prediction is very consistent with the corresponding showers newly separated from three video databases. Another predicted shower has no counterpart in the IAU MDC list, but there is a good match of the prediction and a shower that we separated from the Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance video data. We name this new shower ϑ-Leonids. The last of the predicted showers should be relatively low in number and, hence, no real counterparts were either found in the IAU MDC list or separated from any considered database.