Open AccessA Comparative Modeling Study of the Seasonal, Temporal, and Spatial Distribution of Meteoroids in the Upper Atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars
Author(s) -
Diego Janches,
Juan Sebastián Bruzzone,
Petr Pokorný,
J. D. CarrilloSánchez,
M. Sarantos
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the planetary science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2632-3338
DOI - 10.3847/psj/abba35
Subject(s) - meteoroid , ecliptic , venus , mars exploration program , astrobiology , solar system , planet , atmosphere (unit) , solar wind , physics , astronomy , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , geology , meteorology , quantum mechanics , magnetic field
The meteoroid input function (MIF) describes the seasonal, diurnal and planetographic distribution of incoming meteoroids onto an atmosphere and/or surface of a solar system body. Utilizing state-of-the-art dynamical models of the main populations of meteoroids, we present a comparative study of the MIF on the atmospheres of Venus, Earth and Mars. Our modeling results show that, although a planet's axial tilt and orbital eccentricity introduce measurable important variability of the overall MIF, excursions from the ecliptic plane due to orbital inclination are responsible for the largest differences, producing variations of up to 40% with respect to the mean value in the overall mass fluxes of Venus and Mars. This is particularly true for meteoroid populations concentrated around the ecliptic plane, which are believed to be the dominant source of organics and metals on the atmospheres of these planets.