CAOSP abstracts, Volume: 43, No.: 2, year: 2013

Abstract: Due to the perturbation by the Galactic tide, an interstellar comet can enter the planetary region along the trajectory that can be approximated by a Keplerian ellipse. This means that we measure the eccentricity of this orbit smaller than unity. In this research note, we point out this effect and describe the dynamics of a comet in this regime in more detail. The range of the parameters characterizing the regime is, however, very narrow, therefore an occurrence of a comet on such a trajectory is expected to be extremely rare and the phenomenon is mainly of academic interest.