STRUCTURE OF THE ZODIACAL CLOUD - NEW ANALYTICAL AND NUMERICAL-SOLUTIONS

Recent results of analytical and numerical modelling of the interplane tary dust (IPD) distribution are described. They have been obtained wi th a new techniques employing the continuity equation written in the s pace of orbital coordinates. A 3-D structure and the corresponding 2-D slices for the IPD cloud governed by the Poynting-Robertson drag are computed in the framework of our 'reference model', accounting for alm ost all of the known major sources of dust (5000 asteroids and 217 com ets). We discuss also the origin and structure of the 'dust bands' and the resonant ring near Earth.