METEOROID CONCENTRATION BY THE EARTH'S GRAVITATIONAL FIELD,
Abstract
In a series of computer runs, a number of lowvelocity particles in three-dimensional space were released in the vicinity of (1) the Earth in its orbit around the Sun, and (2) an Earth isolated in space, and the particles' positions were then traced through space. The subsequent steady-state concentration of particles around the Earth for (1) was found to be proportional approximately to the -1 power of the distance from the center of the Earth, while for (2) the -0.68 = 0.14 power of the distance from the center of the Earth (theoretical value: -0.50). It is concluded that there is a significant difference in the gravitational concentration of particles around the Earth in orbit around the Sun as compared with an isolated Earth. In the real world, low-velocity particles are gravitationally concentrated by the Earth much more than one would expect from looking at a simple model of an isolated Earth. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0429108
Entities
People
- S. H. Dole
Organizations
- RAND Corporation