G.B. Valsecchi (Chair)
M.E. Bailey
A. Carusi
A. Gilmore
B.G. Marsden
S. Nakano
H. Rickman
E. Roemer
G. Sitarski
P. Wild
D.K. Yeomans
This group may be replaced by an extended one dealing with Comets and Distant Objects (including Centaurs, TNOs and Scattered-disk objects) during GA24 in August, 2000.
Draft charter, to be proposed and possibly adopted during GA 24 in August, 2000:
The WGCDO focuses on comets and objects in the outer Solar System, i.e.,
members of the Transneptunian Belt (a.k.a. as the Kuiper Belt and
Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt), together with Centaurs and Scattered Disk Objects.
Its tasks are:
- to advise on observational procedures regarding the distinction between
low-activity comets and asteroids, and on extending the range of
heliocentric distances where comets are observed;
- to advise on ways of improving knowledge of the distribution of orbits
in the outer Solar System by augmenting the sample of distant objects with
well-determined orbits and ensuring optimal treatment of the resulting data;
- to consider methodological issues concerning numerical modelling of
the dynamics in the outer planetary region and of objects on unstable,
planet-crossing orbits in general;
- to consider methodological issues concerning astrometric observations
of distant objects, and to help in providing guidelines (in particular, to
secure adequate follow-up observations of Transneptunian Objects);
- to advise the President of Commission 20 on related scientific and
organizational matters, including the provision of an updated reference
list to recent work on the C20 web page, and summaries for the triennial
reports of the IAU Transactions.