Motions of Satellites and Asteroids Under the Influence of Jupiter and the Sun: II. Asteroid Orbits Close to Jupiter

Abstract

The nature of the heliocentric orbits of satellites which have escaped from Jupiter is investigated and a correlation between whether a satellite was direct or retrograde and its heliocentric semi-major axis as an asteroid is discovered, suggesting that asteroids are potential direct or retrograde satellites of Jupiter according to the value of their heliocentric semi-major axes. The lack of asteroids just inside the orbit of Jupiter is thought to be due to the fact that an asteroid is not likely to remain in such an orbit due to perturbations by Jupiter. It is shown that such asteroids could be sent into orbits beyond that of Jupiter, after being temporarily captured by Jupiter, and the existence of an asteroid belt between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn is postulated.