The Manx Comets–Testing Solar System Formation Models
PI:
Karen Meech
Co-I(s):
Alessandro Morbidelli, Olivier Hainaut, Jan Kleyna, Jacqueline Keane, Bin Yang, Richard Wainscoat, Marco Micheli, Robert Weryk
Abstract
Recent Pan-STARRS1 discoveries of objects on long-period comet orbits that are inactive or minimally active at perihelion (the ``Manx comets") have suggested the intriguing possibility that these could represent fresh inner solar system material that was ejected into the Oort cloud during planet migration, and has been preserved for billions of years in the Oort cloud. Because solar system dynamical models make different predictions of planetesimal scattering, Manxes can be used as a test of the models. Our team is undertaking a program to characterize 50 objects. To date we have observed 46 Manxes, and we now have 2 objects with surface reflectivities consistent with inner solar system material.
Publications using this program's data
[data][ADS] Possible Activity in 468861 (2013 LU28)