Equilibrium Obliquity of Mercury: Effect of the inner core and the pericenter
(2015) European Planetary Science Congress — Location: Nantes, France (27.September.2015)
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EPSC2015-485.pdf
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Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Mercury’s spin axis has been shown to occupy the Cassini state 1 (Margot et al. 2007, 2012). In this equilibrium state, the orbit normal, the spin axis and the normal to the Laplace plane remain coplanar, pre- cessing all together with a very long period of about 300 000 years. The obliquity stays constant with time. Up to now, the Cassini state and the corresponding equilibrium obliquity have only been investigated for a planet with a solid layer and a fluid core. In this study, we investigate the effect of an ellipsoidal inner core and the precession of the pericenter on the equilibrium obliquity.
- Affiliations
Royal Observatory of Belgium Reference Systems and Planetology
Citations
Yseboodt, M., Baland, R.-M., Van Hoolst, T., & Rivoldini, A. (2015). Equilibrium Obliquity of Mercury: Effect of the inner core and the pericenter. European Planetary Science Congress, Nantes, France. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/186530