Orbital resonance occurs when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other because their orbital periods form a ratio of small whole numbers, such as Pluto and Neptune's 3:2 resonance. Depending on the geometry involved, resonance can stabilize orbits over long timescales, as with many of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, or destabilize them, as with the Kirkwood gaps that resonance with Jupiter carves into the asteroid belt. The same mechanism produces the synchronized rotation seen in many moons and shapes the structure of Saturn's rings.
Facts
Concept Domain Formulated YearLaplace published his mathematical account of this class of resonance across a series of papers, 1784 to 1789; 1784 is the first. Connections
Associated With
Europa is locked in a 2:1 orbital resonance with Io and 4:1 with Ganymede.
The TRAPPIST-1 planets form a chain of orbital resonances
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia, Orbital resonance, Laplace resonance subsection
The term arose because Pierre-Simon Laplace discovered that such a resonance governed the motions of Jupiter's moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede.
Io (moon) article, notes section on the Great Inequality
It was first described by Laplace in a series of papers published 1784-1789.
View the Source Orbital resonance (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia, Orbital resonance, lead section
In celestial mechanics, orbital resonance occurs when orbiting bodies exert regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually because their orbital periods are related by a ratio of small integers.
In Group: Orbital Elements and Celestial Mechanics, Lead sentence
In celestial mechanics, orbital resonance occurs when orbiting bodies exert regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually because their orbital periods are related by a ratio of small integers.
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