What is orbital resonance?
Q: What is orbital resonance?
A: Orbital resonance is a phenomenon in which two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational effect on each other. Their orbital periods may be related by a ratio of two small integers.
Q: How does it occur?
A: It occurs when the changing gravitational forces of the bodies that are orbiting each other cause instability in their orbits. This can be caused by the orbits being elliptical rather than circular, or due to the planets and stars not being perfectly spherical and varying in their degree of oblateness.
Q: Who first studied the stability of the Solar System?
A: The stability of the Solar System was first investigated by Laplace.
Q: What is tidal locking?
A: Tidal locking is when satellites end up with one face towards their planet because that is the most stable position for them.
Q: What are Kirkwood gaps?
A: Kirkwood gaps are gaps in Saturn's rings which are caused by particles shifting into more stable positions due to Jupiter's influence.
Q: What is Neptune-Pluto resonance?
A: Neptune-Pluto resonance refers to a 2:3 ratio between Neptune and Pluto, meaning Pluto completes two orbits in the time it takes Neptune to complete three.
Q: What area of mechanics studies these phenomena?
A: The area of mechanics used for studying these phenomena is called celestial mechanics.
