Matija Ćuk
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View article: On the applicability of ring–moon cycles to exoplanets
On the applicability of ring–moon cycles to exoplanets Open
The presence of rings and moons around exoplanets is likely to be one of the next great discoveries in exoplanet research. Using theories developed for the Solar system, we explore the possibility of coupled ring–moon cycles around exoplan…
View article: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1)
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) Open
We report on the observation and measurement of astrometry, photometry, morphology, and activity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, also designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The third interstellar obj…
View article: Dynamics and Fate of the Past Martian Rings
Dynamics and Fate of the Past Martian Rings Open
The two small satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, have low-eccentricity obits close to the plane of the Martian equator, implying their in-situ formation (Burns, 1992). The most common proposed hypothesis for their origin is that the mo…
View article: The sesquinary catastrophe can reconcile Deimos' cool present with it's excited past
The sesquinary catastrophe can reconcile Deimos' cool present with it's excited past Open
The formation history of Deimos and Phobos is debated and varies between direct capture, formation after a giant impact, or in a ring-moon cycle resulting from a giant impact impact disk. In either of the giant impact origin scenarios, Dei…
View article: Bounding destruction time-scales of minor planets orbiting white dwarfs with the sesquinary catastrophe
Bounding destruction time-scales of minor planets orbiting white dwarfs with the sesquinary catastrophe Open
Dynamical activity attributed to the destruction of minor planets orbiting white dwarfs has now been photometrically monitored in individual systems for up to one decade, long enough to measure significant cessation and re-emergence of tra…
View article: The Curious Case of Neptune's Naiad
The Curious Case of Neptune's Naiad Open
Naiad is the innermost moon of Neptune, orbiting within the synchronous orbit at less than 2 Neptune radii. It was recently shown that Naiad is in a peculiar 73:69 mean motion resonance with Thalassa, Neptune’s next innermost moon [1]. Com…
View article: Evidence for cascade disruption and for collisions among the Martian Trojans
Evidence for cascade disruption and for collisions among the Martian Trojans Open
As the nearest stable repository of asteroids to both the Earth and the Sun, the Mars Trojans (MTs) represent a unique natural laboratory to study the outcomes of small asteroid evolution over Gyrs [1]. Their small sizes notwithstanding, M…
View article: Bounding destruction timescales of minor planets orbiting white dwarfs with the sesquinary catastrophe
Bounding destruction timescales of minor planets orbiting white dwarfs with the sesquinary catastrophe Open
Dynamical activity attributed to the destruction of minor planets orbiting white dwarfs has now been photometrically monitored in individual systems for up to one decade, long enough to measure significant cessation and re-emergence of tra…
View article: New asteroid clusters and evidence of collisional fragmentation in the L<sub>5</sub> Trojan cloud of Mars
New asteroid clusters and evidence of collisional fragmentation in the L<sub>5</sub> Trojan cloud of Mars Open
Context . Trojan asteroids of Mars date from an early phase of Solar System evolution. The Mars Trojan (MT) distribution has been previously shown to be highly asymmetric and inhomogeneous. Remarkably, a single asteroid family associated w…
View article: Two Possible Orbital Histories of Phobos
Two Possible Orbital Histories of Phobos Open
The two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, have orbits that are close to the Martian equator, indicating their formation from a circumplanetary disk. Phobos is currently migrating toward Mars due to tidal dissipation within the planet and m…
View article: BYORP and Dissipation in Binary Asteroids: Lessons from DART
BYORP and Dissipation in Binary Asteroids: Lessons from DART Open
The near-Earth binary asteroid Didymos was the target of the planetary defense demonstration mission DART in 2022 September. The smaller binary component, Dimorphos, was impacted by the spacecraft in order to measure momentum transfer in k…
View article: BYORP and Dissipation in Binary Asteroids: Lessons from DART
BYORP and Dissipation in Binary Asteroids: Lessons from DART Open
The Near-Earth binary asteroid Didymos was the target of a planetary defense demonstration mission DART in September 2022. The smaller binary component, Dimorphos, was impacted by the spacecraft in order to measure momentum transfer in kin…
View article: Direct N-body Simulations of Satellite Formation around Small Asteroids: Insights from DART’s Encounter with the Didymos System
Direct N-body Simulations of Satellite Formation around Small Asteroids: Insights from DART’s Encounter with the Didymos System Open
We explore binary asteroid formation by spin-up and rotational disruption considering the NASA DART mission's encounter with the Didymos–Dimorphos binary, which was the first small binary visited by a spacecraft. Using a suite of N -body s…
View article: Long-Term Evolution of the Saturnian System
Long-Term Evolution of the Saturnian System Open
Here we present the current state of knowledge on the long-term evolution of Saturn's moon system due to tides within Saturn. First we provide some background on tidal evolution, orbital resonances and satellite tides. Then we address in d…
View article: Movies associated with "Direct N-body simulations of satellite formation around small asteroids: insights from DART's encounter with the Didymos system"
Movies associated with "Direct N-body simulations of satellite formation around small asteroids: insights from DART's encounter with the Didymos system" Open
All movies are titled based on the figure in the paper they correspond to and the ID number of the simulation. All movies, except for movie_fig1_fig2_spinup.mp4 are rendered in a rotating, primary-centered frame with a period of 10 hours. …
View article: Sesquinary Catastrophe for Close-in Moons with Dynamically Excited Orbits
Sesquinary Catastrophe for Close-in Moons with Dynamically Excited Orbits Open
We identify a new mechanism that can lead to the destruction of small, close-in planetary satellites. If a small moon close to the planet has a sizable eccentricity and inclination, its ejecta that escape to the planetocentric orbit would …
View article: A Recent Impact Origin of Saturn’s Rings and Mid-sized Moons
A Recent Impact Origin of Saturn’s Rings and Mid-sized Moons Open
We simulate the collision of precursor icy moons analogous to Dione and Rhea as a possible origin for Saturn’s remarkably young rings. Such an event could have been triggered a few hundred million years ago by resonant instabilities in a p…
View article: Sesquinary Catastrophe For Close-In Moons with Dynamically Excited Orbits
Sesquinary Catastrophe For Close-In Moons with Dynamically Excited Orbits Open
We identify a new mechanism that can lead to the destruction of small, close-in planetary satellites. If a small moon close to the planet has a sizable eccentricity and inclination, its ejecta that escape to planetocentric orbit would ofte…
View article: A Past Episode of Rapid Tidal Evolution of Enceladus?
A Past Episode of Rapid Tidal Evolution of Enceladus? Open
Saturn possesses a dynamically rich system containing numerous moons and impressive rings. Whether the rings of Saturn are much younger than the planet itself has been a long-standing open question; more recently a young age has been propo…
View article: A Past Episode of Rapid Tidal Evolution of Enceladus?
A Past Episode of Rapid Tidal Evolution of Enceladus? Open
Saturn possesses a dynamically rich system containing numerous moons and impressive rings. Whether the rings of Saturn are much younger than the planet itself has been a long-open question; more recently a young age has been proposed for s…
View article: Cupid is not Doomed Yet: On the Stability of the Inner Moons of Uranus
Cupid is not Doomed Yet: On the Stability of the Inner Moons of Uranus Open
Some of the small inner moons of Uranus have very closely-spaced orbits. Multiple numerical studies have found that the moons Cressida and Desdemona, within the Portia subgroup, are likely to collide in less than 100 Myr. The subsequent di…
View article: Three-body Resonances in the Saturnian System
Three-body Resonances in the Saturnian System Open
Saturn has a dynamically rich satellite system, which includes at least three orbital resonances between three pairs of moons: Mimas–Tethys 4:2, Enceladus–Dione 2:1, and Titan–Hyperion 4:3 mean-motion resonances. Studies of the orbital his…
View article: Barrel Instability in Binary Asteroids
Barrel Instability in Binary Asteroids Open
Most close-in planetary satellites are in synchronous rotation, which is usually the stable end-point of tidal despinning. Saturn’s moon Hyperion is a notable exception by having a chaotic rotation. Hyperion’s dynamical state is a conseque…
View article: Tidal Evolution of the Earth–Moon System with a High Initial Obliquity
Tidal Evolution of the Earth–Moon System with a High Initial Obliquity Open
A giant-impact origin for the Moon is generally accepted, but many aspects of lunar formation remain poorly understood and debated. Ćuk et al. proposed that an impact that left the Earth–Moon system with high obliquity and angular momentum…
View article: Origin of the Moon
Origin of the Moon Open
The Earth-Moon system is unusual in several respects. The Moon is roughly 1/4 the radius of the Earth - a larger satellite-to-planet size ratio than all known satellites other than Pluto's Charon. The Moon has a tiny core, perhaps with onl…
View article: "Barrel Instability" for Elongated Secondaries in Binary Asteroids
"Barrel Instability" for Elongated Secondaries in Binary Asteroids Open
Most close-in planetary satellites are in synchronous rotation, which is usully the stable end-point of tidal despinning. Saturn's moon Hyperion is a notable exception by having a chaotic rotation. Hyperion's dynamical state is a consequen…
View article: Dynamical History of the Uranian System
Dynamical History of the Uranian System Open
We numerically simulate the past tidal evolution of the five large moons of Uranus (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon). We find that the most recent major mean–motion resonance (MMR) between any two moons, the Ariel–Umbriel 5:3 …