Abstract
The distributions of annual flux and time interval of perihelion passages of long-period comets are examined statistically. The former is found to be well represented by the Poisson distribution, while the latter by the exponential one. This means that the perihelion passages of long-period comets are an almost random phenomenon, at least within the time scale of a few hundred years, even if the samples are affected by observational selection and/or the effect of physical disruption.
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References
Marsden, B. G.: 1979, Catalogue of Cometary Orbits, 3rd ed., Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams I.A.U., Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge.
Meyer, S. L.: 1975, Data Analysis of Scientists and Engineers, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, Chapter 24.
Nakamura, T.: 1981, Icarus 45, 529.
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Nakamura, T. Statistical nature of perihelion passages of long-period comets. Earth Moon Planet 30, 289–293 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056205
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056205