Title of article :
How do the small planetary satellites rotate
Author/Authors :
Alexander V. Melnikov and Ivan I. Shevchenko، نويسنده ,
Issue Information :
روزنامه با شماره پیاپی سال 2009
Abstract :
We investigate the problem of the typical rotation states of the small planetary satellites from the viewpoint of the dynamical stability of their rotation. We show that the majority of the discovered satellites with unknown rotation periods cannot rotate synchronously, because no stable synchronous 1:1 spin-orbit state exists for them. They rotate either much faster than synchronously (those tidally unevolved) or, what is much less probable, chaotically (tidally evolved objects or captured slow rotators).
Keywords :
planets and satellites: general
Journal title :
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Journal title :
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union