Do comet groups exist?

Abstract

AbstractThe phenomena of comet groups, i.e. sets of comets that exhibit similarity in their orbital elements, is investigated. A computer program based on the D-criterion of orbital similarity is used to search for comet pairs and groups. The reality of the groups is tested by making computer searches in random samples of comet orbits.The data base for the study is 599 long-period comet orbits. The degree of orbital similarity within a comet group was first assumed to be identical to that encountered in meteor streams. The computer search at this level produced five comet pairs plus two groups with four and seven members, respectively. The latter two represented the eleven known members of the Kreutz group of sun-grazing comets. A comparison with searches in random samples showed that the two Kreutz groups were significant. There is a probability of 0.2 that the five comet pairs found in the real sample could be accidental formations.In a second study the orbital similarity parameter Ds was varied and the number of comet groups found in the real and synthetic comet populations was compared at each level of Ds. Apart from the Kreutz group of comets, the number of groups detected in the real comet sample was for all levels of orbital similarity only slightly higher than the average found in the random samples. At the 2σ confidence level we conclude that comet groups exhibit similarity in their orbital elements, that is no greater than might be expected by chance.