Modeling the meteoroid streams of comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), Lyrids

The meteoroid stream of long-period comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) is modeled in course to reveal the details of its structure. Specifically, we modeled several parts of the comet's theoretical stream, which were characterized by various values of evolutionary times and various strengths of the Poynting-Robertson effect. The dynamical behaviour of 10 ​000 test particles in each model from the time of their ejection up to the present was followed via a numerical integration of their orbits. The characteristics of the particles that moved on orbits approaching the Earth's orbit were used to predict a shower. Primarily, we wanted to find whether C/1861 G1 is the parent body of other meteor showers than the April Lyrids. However, we confirm that the orbit of this parent and its meteoroid stream is relatively stable during a long time and the meteoroids can collide with our planet only in the pre-perihelion orbital arc corresponding to the April Lyrids, No. 6, code LYR. Our modeling did not show any clustering of the meteoroids in the stream due to the gravitational perturbations that could explain the observed outbursts. The observed semi-major axes are, in general, smaller than those of the modeled particles and the parent comet because of a selection effect. Namely, the meteoroids in orbits with smaller semi-major axes pass the Earth's orbit more frequently. They are then observed and recorded in the data more often than the meteors with the larger axes. •The meteoroid stream of comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) studied.•The relationship between comet C/1862 G1 and April Lyrids, No. 6, confirmed.•No else orbital corridors of the C/1861 G1 occurred; the comet is the parent body solely of the April Lyrids.