Celestial Mechanics and Polarization Optics of the Kordylewski Dust Cloud in the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point L5 Part II. Imaging Polarimetric Observation: New Evidence for the Existence of Kordylewski Dust Cloud

TL;DR

This study provides new ground-based imaging polarimetric evidence supporting the existence of the Kordylewski dust cloud at Earth-Moon L5, challenging previous skepticism and confirming sunlight scattering on dust particles.

Contribution

It introduces the first polarimetric detection of the Kordylewski dust cloud at L5, combining observational data with dust formation simulations.

Findings

Polarimetric signals indicate sunlight scattering on dust particles.

Excludes artifacts like clouds or aircraft trails as causes.

Supports the existence of Kordylewski dust cloud at L5.

Abstract

Telescopes mounted with polarizers can study the neutral points of the Earths atmosphere, the solar corona, the surface of planets/moons of the Solar System, distant stars, galaxies and nebulae. These examples demonstrate well that polarimetry is a useful technique to gather astronomical information from spatially extended phenomena. There are two enigmatic celestial objects that can also effectively be studied with imaging polarimetry, namely the Kordylewski dust clouds (KDCs) positioned around the L4 and L5 triangular Lagrangian libration points of the Earth-Moon system. Although in 1961 the Polish astronomer, Kazimierz Kordylewski had observed two bright patches near the L5 point with photography, many astronomers assume that these dust clouds do not exist, because the gravitational perturbation of the Sun, solar wind and other planets may disrupt the stabilizing effect of the L4 and L5 Lagrange points of the Earth and Moon. Using ground-born imaging polarimetry, we present here new observational evidence for the existence of the KDC around the L5 point of the Earth-Moon system. Excluding artefacts induced by the telescope, cirrus clouds or condensation trails of airplanes, the only explanation remains the polarized scattering of sunlight on the particles collected around the L5 point. By our polarimetric detection of the KDC we think it is appropriate to reconsider the pioneering photometric observation of Kordylewski. Our polarimetric evidence is supported by the results of simulation of dust cloud formation in the L5 point of the Earth-Moon system presented in the first part of this paper.