E. Bois – författare

This work contains the proceedings of an International Astronomical Symposium devoted to the interactions between physics and dynamics in the solar system, especially with regard to the small bodies (asteroids, comets, meteors). These two topics were traditionally considered as almost independent, but their interactions are increasingly being reviewed as the key to an understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system. For instance, the rotational dynamics of planets have a profound influence on their climate. On the other hand, a good understanding of the complicated dynamics of asteroids and the identification of families of bodies born from the break-up of a parent body may tell us much about the formation and the evolution of the solar system. All these, and several related questions are discussed in these proceedings, which should be of interest to both physicists and dynamicists.

Fans of "Asterix the Gallic" know well that the only fear of people in Brittany is that the sky falls upon their head. So it must have been a shock for them (the fans of Asterix) to learn that a horde of Physicists and Dynamicists (some of them being actually Roman - ils sont fous ces Romains!) invaded the bay of Saint-Brieuc and spend a full week conjuring all the nastiness that the sky has in reserve, revelling in the horrors hidden beyond the blue dome; they talked with delight about "asteroids", "comets" and "meteor streams"; they grinned at the idea of "artificial satellites", these pots and pans of space always ready to fall upon you; some of them said strange things about the Moon, the planets, and evoked the "rings" of Saturn or of some other of their gods. One evening, a Roman from Pisa went as far as cornering some inhabitants in the large hut they used for their witchcraft and filled them with terror by describing the fate of the poor dinosaurs victims of a particularly nasty asteroid (or was it a comet?). You will be surprized to learn that Bretons did not exact a spectacular revenge for these offenses. On the contrary.