Potential regions for finding small satellites and dust particles in the Pluto's system: Implications for the New Horizons Mission
- Paper number
IAC-11,A3,5,11,x11111
- Author
Dr. Silvia Giuliatti-Winter, Saõ Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil
- Year
2011
- Abstract
Pluto and Charon form a binary system and, along with the recent discovered satellites Nix and Hydra, will be imaged by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. In this work we analysed the effects that small and large particles can suffer due to different perturbative effects through a sample of numerical simulations. For cm-sized particles we identified stable regions for particles in S and P-types orbits under the gravitational perturbations of Pluto, Charon, Nix and Hydra. Some of the internal stable regions are located very close to the orbital path of the New Horizons mission posing as a potential hazard for this mission. We also analysed the effects of hypothetical satellites, with sizes varyng from 1-50km in radius, on the orbital evolution of Nix and Hydra in order to constrain an upper limit size. Our results, derived from a sample of numerical simulations, show that some hypothetical satellites can be coorbital to Nix or Hydra, and they can also be located in specific regions between the orbits of them without provoking any significant gravitational effects on the orbital elements of Nix and Hydra. These regions are potential regions to look for undiscovered satellites at the time the mission passes by Pluto-Charon system. Although Pluto's system is far away from the Sun, the effects of the solar radiation pressure are do important for dust particles with sizes ranging from 1-30$\mu$m. The effects of this dissipative force, combined with the gravitational effects of the four massive bodies, provoke collisions and ejections of these tiny particles in a time much less than 1000years. Only a small fraction of particles survived for the entire time span of the integration. Therefore, if Pluto has a tenuous ring it has to be continuously replenished.
- Abstract document
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