The main asteroid belt: the primary source of debris on comet-like orbits

TL;DR

This study shows that most meteoroids on comet-like orbits originate from the main asteroid belt, not comets, due to the fragility of cometary material which rarely survives in near-Earth space.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis distinguishing the origins of sporadic meteoroids on comet-like orbits using physical and dynamic data.

Findings

<4% of meteoroids on JFC-like orbits are cometary

Most meteoroids on these orbits originate from the main asteroid belt

Cometary material is too fragile to survive near Earth

Abstract

Jupiter family comets contribute a significant amount of debris to near-Earth space. However, telescopic observations of these objects seem to suggest they have short physical lifetimes. If this is true, the material generated will also be short-lived, but fireball observation networks still detect material on cometary orbits. This study examines centimeter-meter scale sporadic meteoroids detected by the Desert Fireball Network from 2014-2020 originating from Jupiter family comet-like orbits. Analyzing each event's dynamic history and physical characteristics, we confidently determined whether they originated from the main asteroid belt or the trans-Neptunian region. Our results indicate that $<4\%$ of sporadic meteoroids on JFC-like orbits are genetically cometary. This observation is statistically significant and shows that cometary material is too friable to survive in near-Earth space. Even when considering shower contributions, meteoroids on JFC-like orbits are primarily from the main-belt. Thus, the presence of genuine cometary meteorites in terrestrial collections is highly unlikely.