An Oort cloud origin for the high-inclination, high-perihelion Centaurs

Abstract

We investigate the origin of three Centaurs with perihelia in the range 15-30 au, inclinations above 70° and semimajor axes shorter than 100 au. Based on long-term numerical simulations we conclude that these objects most likely originate from the Oort cloud rather than the Kuiper belt or scattered disc. We estimate that there are currently between 1 and 200 of these high-inclination, high-perihelion Centaurs with absolute magnitude H < 8. © 2012 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2012 RAS.