Publications (1)0 Total impact
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David Parry Rubincam
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ABSTRACT: Pluto may be the only known case of precession-orbit resonance in the solar system. Pluto's precession caused by Charon about their orbital plane might have a period of 250.8 Earth years, the same as the orbital period of the Pluto-Charon system about the Sun. A Pluto flyby mission might refute or provide more evidence for the resonance. It is not clear how the planet would get in to such a resonance. Present-day Earth-based is observations appear to rule out Pluto's being in a resonance associated with half of its orbital period about the Sun unless Pluto has a large nonhydrostatic component to its flattening.
05/1999;
