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F. Varadi, M. Ghil, B. Runnegar (IGPP, UCLA)
The orbital stability of asteroids on time scales shorter than a few million years is governed by resonances with Jupiter. We ask how stable are the supposedly stable regions on longer time scales? To do so, we are simulating at present the orbital evolution of 20 named asteroids in the regions that are stable on the short time scales; this calculation now extends for more than 100 million years. Some asteroids appear to have very stable orbits. Others are captured into resonances with Jupiter or Mars for millions of years, but eventually are ejected from those regions when their semi-major axes jump to different values. The jumps take place in an apparently chaotic fashion and lead to random walks across the asteroid belt.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #3
© 2002. The American Astronomical Society.