🚀 go-pugleaf

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   >I have in my hands a preprint of a paper by Piet Hut (from Princeton)
   >                         . . . .
   >After studying these effects, he concludes that such a system IS
   >possible, although it should come apart in time.  A related factor to
   >its instability is that the period is not precisely regular, but may
   >vary as much as 20%.
   >
   >                                     Jay Parks

Is this intended to convince anyone of anything?  Of course it will come
apart in time -- eveything does.  The question is: if this mythical companion
had been formed along with our solar system, could it have survived until
now? (i.e. is this idea totally impossible, or merely wildly improbable?)

A 20% slop in period ought to cover virtually any funny-looking peaks in a
power spectrum dominated by noise, and allow true believers to "save the
hypothesis" without too much trouble.  

I've seen more convincing evidence for the Great Pumpkin.


-- 
                                 Ed Nather
                                 {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!nather
                                 Astronomy Dept., U. of Texas, Austin