Temporal fluctuations and anisotropy of the micrometeoroid flux in the Earth-Moon system measured by HEOS 2 |
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| Authors: | H-J Hoffman H Fechtig E Grün J Kissel |
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| Institution: | Max-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | The HEOS detector measures the mass and speed of micrometeoroids in the Earth-Moon system. They are detected by the plasma produced by particle impacts on the sensor. During 2 yr of data collection 384 particles have been registered. As shown earlier (COSPAR 1973), they can be divided into 3 categories according to their temporal distribution: particles that are (1) randomly distributed or (2) appear in “groups” or (3) appear in “swarms” In this paper the origin of the groups and swarms is discussed. For this purpose the article orbits with respect to the Earth and the Moon were traced back. The results imply a lunar origin of the groups, whereas the swarms are correlated with the vicinity of the Earth. In addition, the dependence of the cumulative flux upon the detector's viewing direction indicates clearly an anisotropic particle flux. |
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