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[45.03] Among the Hungarias: Dynamics at the Inner Edge of the Asteroid Belt

R.W. McNaughton (U. of Toronto)

The Hungarias are a ragged band of asteroids orbiting at around 1.9AU, just inside what is typically defined as the inner edge of the main asteroid belt at 2AU. They occupy a dynamical niche carved out by mean-motion and secular resonances. Orbits in the Hungarias have low eccentricities but are confined to high inclinations. Moderate eccentricity boosts above ~0.2 swing these asteroids across the orbit of Mars. Some will also approach Earth's orbit. I present numerical simulations to demonstrate the detailed orbital evolutions in this region, and analytical calculations which characterize the long-term dynamics.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.