Oort Cloud Comets Discovered Far from the Sun
Ma{\l}gorzata Kr\'olikowska, Luke Dones

TL;DR
This study investigates how non-gravitational forces influence the orbits of distant Oort Cloud comets, revealing measurable effects beyond 5 au and highlighting the importance of sublimation models in orbital calculations.
Contribution
It provides a detailed analysis of non-gravitational effects on long-period comets at large heliocentric distances, using multiple data sets and sublimation models to improve orbital understanding.
Findings
NG effects are detectable beyond 5 au for many comets
Asymmetric NG effects are observed in some comets before and after perihelion
Including NG acceleration influences the determination of original orbits
Abstract
Context: Increasingly, Oort Cloud comets are being discovered at great distances from the Sun and tracked over ever wider ranges of heliocentric distances as observational equipment improves. Aims: To investigate in detail how the original semimajor axis for near-parabolic comets depends on the selected data arc and the assumed form of the non-gravitational (NG) acceleration. Methods: Among currently known Oort Cloud comets with large perihelion distances ( au), we selected 32 objects observed over the widest ranges of heliocentric distances in orbital legs before and after perihelion. For each of them, we determined a series of orbits using at least three basic types of data sets selected from available positional data (pre- and post-perihelion data and the entire data set), and a few forms of NG acceleration representing water ice or CO sublimation. Results: We found that the…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAstro and Planetary Science · Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics · Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
