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Issue A&A
Volume 394, Number 1, October IV 2002
Page(s) 311 - 316
Section The solar system
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20021099



A&A 394, 311-316 (2002)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20021099

The velocity distribution of periodic comets and the meteor shower on Mars

Yuehua Ma1, 2, 3, I. P. Williams2, W. H. Ip3 and Wenping Chen3

1  Purple Mountain Observatory, Academia Sinica, Nanjing 210008, PR China; National Astronomical Observatories, Academia Sinica, PR China
2  Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary, London E1 4NS, UK
3  Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Taiwan 32054, PR China

(Received 10 September 2001 / Accepted 29 July 2002 )

Abstract
The collision velocities with Mars of the known periodic comets with perihelion distances less than the orbital radius of Mars 1.52 au are calculated and statistically analyzed. The velocity distribution shows that short-period comets usually have smaller collision velocities than the long-period comets whether they are numbered or unnumbered. For comets with period $P\leq270$ y, most collision velocities with Mars are less than 30 km s -1. These velocities are smaller than the corresponding collision velocities with Earth. Based on the similarity of the velocity distributions of the comets and meteoroid streams, meteor showers on Mars are discussed briefly.


Key words: celestial mechanics -- comets: general -- meteors, meteoroids

Offprint request: Yuehua Ma, yhma@mail.pmo.ac.cn




© ESO 2002


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