GROUPS OF METEORITE-PRODUCING METEOROIDS AND METEORITES IN ASTEROIDAL ORBITS AND THEIR SOURCES

Abstract

This paper presents the results of theanalysis of possible existence of nine near-Earthmeteorite-producing groups in asteroidal orbits, consistingof sporadic fireballs from the IAU MDC 2007 database,sporadic meteors from the SonotaCo database, meteorites– namely, L5, L6 and H4-H6 ordinary chondrites and anureilite, for which atmospheric and orbital parameters areknown from instrumental observations – and theirplausible parent bodies, that is, near-Earth asteroids(NEAs). Orbits of the selected members of meteorite-producing groups were classified as asteroidal accordingto the Tisserand parameter T J > 3.1.In order to test the link between meteorite-producinggroups in asteroidal orbits and their plausible parentbodies, we carried out an investigation into the possibleexistence of some known NEAs that move in similarorbits. Based on the orbital similarity, determined usingthe Drummond (D D ) and Southworth & Hawkins (D SH )orbital similarity criteria, some associations between theidentified NEAs, known meteorites in asteroidal orbitsand small, as well as meteorite-dropping, meteoroids havebeen suggested. As a result, several meteorite-droppingsporadic fireballs and small meteors, whose orbits arecurrently similar to the orbits of known meteorites, havebeen detected and reckoned as possible members of thegroups in asteroidal orbits; their plausible source regionshave also been considered.