Mitigating potentially hazardous asteroid impacts revisited
Methods. We computed the orbits of 105 fragments with a high-precision direct N-body integrator of the eighth order, running on GPUs. We considered orbital perturbations from all large bodies in the Solar System and the self-gravity of the cloud fragments. - Results. Using a series of numerical expe...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
04 September 2023
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| In: |
Astronomy and astrophysics
Year: 2023, Volume: 677, Pages: 1-12 |
| ISSN: | 1432-0746 |
| DOI: | 10.1051/0004-6361/202347205 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202347205 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202347205 
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| Author Notes: | Zs. Regály, V. Fröhlich, and P. Berczik |
| Summary: | Methods. We computed the orbits of 105 fragments with a high-precision direct N-body integrator of the eighth order, running on GPUs. We considered orbital perturbations from all large bodies in the Solar System and the self-gravity of the cloud fragments. - Results. Using a series of numerical experiments, we show that orbital shear causes the fragment cloud to adopt the shape of a triaxial ellipsoid. The shape and alignment of the triaxial ellipsoid are strongly modulated by the cloud’s orbital trajectory and, hence, the impact cross-section of the cloud with respect to the Earth. Therefore, the number of fragments hitting the Earth is strongly influenced by the orbit of the impactor and the time of interception. A minimum number of impacts occur for a well-defined orientation of the impactor rotational axis, depending on the date of interception. - Conclusions. To minimise the lethal consequences of an PHA’s impact, a well-constrained interception timing is necessary. A tooearly interception may not be ideal for PHAs in the Apollo or Aten groups. Thus, we find that the best time to intercept PHA is when it is at the pericentre of its orbit. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 02.09.2024 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1432-0746 |
| DOI: | 10.1051/0004-6361/202347205 |