Numerical Evidence that the Motion of Pluto is Chaotic

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.

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 241; no. 4864; pp. 433 - 437
Main Authors:	Sussman, Gerald Jay, Wisdom, Jack
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Legacy CDMS The American Association for the Advancement of Science 22.07.1988 American Association for the Advancement of Science
Subjects:	Astronomy Astrophysics Celestial mechanics Computer programming & languages Computers Earth, ocean, space Exact sciences and technology Jupiter Logarithms Mechanics, Celestial Neptune Outer planets Perihelions Physics Planetaria Planetariums Planetary orbits Planets, their satellites and rings. Asteroids Pluto Pluto (Dwarf planet) Pluto (Planet) Power laws Solar system Solar systems Trajectories Equation of motion Orbit Computer simulation Digital simulation Orbital element Periodic motion Pluto Celestial mechanics
ISSN:	0036-8075, 1095-9203
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	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.
Bibliography:	CDMS Legacy CDMS ISSN: 0036-8075 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 14 ObjectType-Article-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0036-8075 1095-9203
DOI:	10.1126/science.241.4864.433