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Life near the Roche limit - Behavior of ejecta from satellites close to planetsA study of the dynamics of nearby debris from impact craters was made to explain the distinctive features seen on Phobos, Deimis, and Amalthea. The planetary tides and satellite rotation were considered, and the usual pseudo-energy (Jacobi) integral was numerically calculated in the framework of a restricted body problem where satellites are modelled as triaxial ellipsoids rather than point masses. Iso-contours of this integral show that Deimos and Amalthea are entirely closed by Roche lobes, and the surfaces of their model ellipsoids lie nearly along equipotentials. Presently, the surface of Phobos overflows its Roche lobe, except for regions within a few km of the sub-Mars and anti-Mars points. The behavior of crater ejecta from the satellites of Mars were also examined by numerical integration of trajectories for particles leaving their surfaces in the equatorial plane.
Document ID
19800061645
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Dobrovolskis, A. R.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Burns, J. A.
(Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y., United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1980
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Volume: 42
Subject Category
Astronomy
Accession Number
80A45815
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: PROJECT VIKING
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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