A circumsolar ring of asteroidal dust in resonant lock with the Earth

Numerical simulations of the orbital evolution of asteroidal dust particles show that the Earth is embedded in a circumsolar ring of asteroidal dust, and has a cloud of dust permanently in its wake. This could account for the asymmetry of the zodiacal cloud observed by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). The resonant trapping and subsequent release of dust particles by the ring may provide a mechanism by which carbonaceous material is transported from the asteroid belt to the Earth.

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