Numerical Evidence that the Motion of Pluto is Chaotic.

Abstract

The Digital Orrery has been used to perform an integration of the motion of the outer planets for 845 million years. This integration indicates that the long-term motion of the planet Pluto is chaotic. Nearby trajectories diverge exponentially with an e-folding time of only about 20 million years. Keywords: Lyapuno function; Dynamics; Orrery; Chaos; Numerical methods; Pluto; Solar system. (jhd)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 27, 1988
Accession Number
ADA195920

Entities

People

  • Gerald J. Sussman
  • Jack Wisdom

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science
  • Differential Equations
  • Equations
  • Frequency
  • Line Spectra
  • Longitude
  • Military Research
  • Orbital Elements
  • Orbits
  • Outer Planets
  • Planetary Sciences
  • Planets
  • Power Spectra
  • Solar System
  • Spectra
  • Trajectories

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.