[Previous] | [Session 47] | [Next]
O.C. Winter (UNESP - Brazil), D.C. Mourao (INPE - Brazil), T. Yokoyama (UNESP - Brazil), R.R. Cordeiro (UFV - Brazil)
In the present work we study the stability of hypothetical satellites coorbital with Enceladus. We performed numerical simulations taking into account the perturbation of Mimas, Tethys, Dione, Titan and the oblateness of Saturn on 50 particles around the triangular Lagrangian equilibrium points of Enceladus. All particles remain on tadpole orbits after 10,000 years of integration. Since in the past the orbit of Enceladus expanded due to the tidal perturbation, we also simulated the system with Enceladus at smaller semi-major axes. The results show that in general the particles remain on tadpole orbits. The exceptions occur when Enceladus is at semi-major axes that correspond to 6:7, 5:6 and 4:5 resonances with Mimas. Therefore, if Enceladus had satellites librating around its Lagrangian triangular points in the past, they would have been removed when Enceladus crossed one of these first order resonances with Mimas.
This work was partially supported by Fundunesp, CNPq, Fapesp and Capes.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: ocwinter@feg.unesp.br
[Previous] | [Session 47] | [Next]
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.