The Relationship between Centaurs and Jupiter Family Comets with Implications for K-Pg-type Impacts
The Relationship between Centaurs and Jupiter Family Comets with Implications for K-Pg-type Impacts
Centaurs--icy bodies orbiting beyond Jupiter and interior to Neptune--are believed to be dynamically related to Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs), which have aphelia near Jupiter's orbit and perihelia in the inner Solar System. Previous dynamical simulations have recreated the Centaur/JFC conversion, but the mechanism behind that process remains poorly described. We …