4 ms·
Yes, I agree, it's a combination of high inclination, perihelion, and eccentricity that point point to scattering. The clustering of the arguments of perihelia
by autocorr 8y ago
Yes, I agree, it's a combination of high inclination, perihelion, and eccentricity that point point to scattering.
The clustering of the arguments of perihelia is less straight forward (you can see it in Figure 4 of the linked pre-print PDF in another comment) and my limited understanding is that they are shepherded into that configuration over time by the large body. That is more clear when you see the results of the numerical simulations I suppose.
- sandworm101 8y agoThe number of potential encounters is also a factor. Objects in orbits this large, with periods measurable in thousands of years, won't have many periodic encounters. There isn't enough time since the formation of our solar system for them to get close enough together. The lower the number of potential encounters, the more significant must those be that do happen. That too points to a larger body out there.