1CONTINUING EVIDENCE OF AN IMPULSIVE COMPONENT OF OORT CLOUD COMETARY FLUX

An impulsive component of new Oort cloud cometary flux has previously been identified using data from the Catalogues of Cometary Orbits. That data is augmented by 1/3 in the latest Catalogue. The binomial probabil-ity that the previously identified overpopulated region of the celestial sphere would continue to be overpopulated as much or more in the new data if the distribution were truly random is 0.009. In addition, correlations between orbital elements that are characteristic of an impulse re-main statistically significant. The geometry of the over-populated band is inconsistent with a stellar impulse but may be compatible with a bound Jovian mass solar com-panion. Key words: comets, dynamics