CaltechAUTHORS
  A Caltech Library Service

Minor Planet 2008 ED69 and the Kappa Cygnid Meteor Shower

Jenniskens, P. and Vaubaillon, J. (2008) Minor Planet 2008 ED69 and the Kappa Cygnid Meteor Shower. Astronomical Journal, 136 (2). pp. 725-730. ISSN 0004-6256. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/136/2/725. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:JENaj08

[img]
Preview
PDF - Published Version
See Usage Policy.

873kB

Use this Persistent URL to link to this item: https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:JENaj08

Abstract

Until recently, the kappa Cygnids (IAU#12) were considered an old shower, because the meteors were significantly dispersed in node, radiant, and speed, despite being 28-38° inclined. In 1993, an outburst of kappa Cygnids was observed, which implied that this meteoroid stream was relatively young, instead. At least some dust was still concentrated in dust trailets. Until now, no active comet parent body was known, however, and the wide 22° dispersion of nodes was difficult to explain. This work reports that a minor planet has been discovered that has the right orbital dynamics to account for the kappa Cygnids. Minor planet 2008 ED69 is intrinsically bright, with H = 16.7 ± 0.3, and moves in a highly inclined orbit (i = 36.3°). With one node near Jupiter's orbit, the perihelion distance, longitude of perihelion, and node quickly change over time, but in a manner that keeps dust concentrated for a long period of time. The stream is more massive than the remaining body, and a form of fragmentation is implicated. A break-up, leaving a stream of meteoroids and at least the one remaining fragment 2008 ED69, can account for the observed dispersion of the kappa Cygnids in Earth's orbit, if the formation epoch is about 2-3 nutation cycles ago, dating to around 4000-1600 BC. Most of that debris now passes close to the orbit of Venus, making the kappa Cygnids a significant shower on Venus.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/136/2/725DOIUNSPECIFIED
http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1538-3881/136/2/725PublisherUNSPECIFIED
Additional Information:© 2008. The American Astronomical Society. Received 2008 March 23; accepted 2008 May 22; published 2008 July 11. Print publication: Issue 2 (2008 August). The Centre Informatique National de l'Enseignement Supérieur (Montpelier, France) and the National Science Foundation through the San Diego Super Computer Center (San Diego, CA) made resources and computing facilities available for this study. J.V. thanks William T. Reach of the Spitzer Science Center and the IPAC/Caltech team for their support. This work was funded through grant no. NNX08AO64G from NASA's Planetary Astronomy Program.
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
NASANNX08AO64G
Subject Keywords:comets: individual (2008 ED69); meteors, meteoroids; minor planets, asteroids
Issue or Number:2
DOI:10.1088/0004-6256/136/2/725
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:JENaj08
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:JENaj08
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:12801
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Archive Administrator
Deposited On:24 Dec 2008 18:46
Last Modified:08 Nov 2021 22:33

Repository Staff Only: item control page