Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks' Dust Fate

Gritsevich et al. (2022) studied the evolution of a dust trail from the massive outburst of comet 17P/Holmes in October 2007. They predicted that ground-based telescopes could observe this dust trail in 2022 and the subsequent observations were successfully conducted. The observations of the dust trail provide a valuable opportunity to study many peculiarities of the comet, including its activity, structure, and characteristics of the released dust particles. In the present work, we study dynamic evolution of the particles after a long period of time. We investigate the potential for a collision with Earth, Moon, and other celestial bodies; instants of high concentration of particles in the dust trail, and how the solar radiation pressure affects the dynamics of the dust. Recently, comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has experienced a series of well-documented outbursts during its current approach to perihelion, making it an exciting case for investigation. We simulate the evolution of dust particles released by the outbursts of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks during 2023. We use the software REBOUND for the simulations, integrating with the IAS15 numerical integrator. We initiate a system with the Sun, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and the comet itself at the outburst date for the simulation. The results of the simulations are detailed and analyzed throughout the work.

 

References

Maria Gritsevich, Markku Nissinen, Arto Oksanen, Jari Suomela, Elizabeth A Silber, Evolution of the dust trail of comet 17P/Holmes, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 513, Issue 2, June 2022, Pages 2201–2214, https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac822