Open AccessStability limits for the quasi‐satellite orbit
Author(s) -
Mikkola S.,
Innanen K.,
Wiegert P.,
Connors M.,
Brasser R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10306.x
Subject(s) - physics , asteroid , satellite , eccentricity (behavior) , longitude , orbit (dynamics) , mean motion , planet , celestial mechanics , motion (physics) , circular orbit , geodesy , stability (learning theory) , astronomy , classical mechanics , latitude , aerospace engineering , geology , computer science , engineering , machine learning , political science , law
An asteroid moving around the Sun having approximately the same mean motion and mean longitude as a planet, but a different eccentricity, circles the planet like a retrograde satellite even when the distance is large enough so that it is not a bound satellite. If the orbits are coplanar, then the motion is stable in the secular approximation. When the orbits are inclined enough, an asteroid can be trapped into such a quasi‐satellite (QS) motion for a finite period of time. The conditions under which this can occur are discussed, improved criteria for the recognition of this type of motion are developed, and numerical examples from real QS objects are provided.