Open AccessOn the significance of the Titius–Bode law for the distribution of the planets
Author(s) -
Lynch Peter
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06492.x
Subject(s) - physics , planet , monte carlo method , population , statistical physics , distribution (mathematics) , celestial mechanics , basis (linear algebra) , astrophysics , theoretical physics , geometry , mathematical analysis , statistics , demography , sociology , mathematics
The radii of the planetary and satellite orbits are in approximate agreement with geometric progressions. The question of whether the observed patterns have some physical basis or are due to chance may be addressed using a Monte Carlo approach. We find that the estimated probability of chance occurrence depends sensitively on the restrictions imposed on the population of orbits. We argue that it is not possible to conclude unequivocally that laws of Titius–Bode type are, or are not, significant. Therefore, the possibility of a physical explanation for the observed distributions remains open.