The Structure of Particles Rings Around the Earth
Abstract
A particle that is subjected to the effects of the solar radiation and the oblateness of the Earth shows a precession in its argument of the periapsis and a variation in its eccentricity In the present case a ring of particles is considered and this effect may cause different structures in its orbital evolution as a function of the orbital region and the size of the particles In the simulations shown here rings composed of several different sizes of particles were considered initially in circular orbits around the Earth subject to the perturbations due to the solar radiation and the oblateness of the Earth for different orbital regions LEO MEO e GEO The main goal is to explore the different structures on those rings The numerical results show that the structures are in spiral form considering the MEO region and particles of 6 mu m Considering that the ring is formed by particles of 100 mu m in LEO the structures are in spiral form during a time smaller that one year and after that the particles are scattered due to the precession of the argument of the periapsis never returning to the spiral form again Ring of particles in the GEO region do not present spirals for the sizes considered 6 mu m 10 mu m 20 mu m 50 mu m e 100 mu m A study of the variation of the argument of the periapsis as a function of the size and the orbital region of the particle is performed with the goal of explaining the different structures found in the orbital evolution of those rings
- Publication:
-
36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006cosp...36.2986W