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Two Planets Discovered Sharing the Same Orbit
Popular Science ^
| Friday, February 25, 2011
| Julie Beck
Posted on 02/27/2011 5:17:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv
click here to read article
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To: SunkenCiv
Thank you — they usually muck up science reporting in the guise of looking smart.
If it means the LARGER body is the one does the peculiar Figure-8 thing at the Lagrange point, I could see the reference to the sizes...
61
posted on
02/27/2011 7:57:54 PM PST
by
mikrofon
(Space BUMP)
To: Lancey Howard
I didnt read that the Lagrange points were 120 degrees in front of and behind the larger one. I read they were in front of and behind the smaller one. Yes, that is what the text said. Draw a circle on a piece of paper. Draw points on the circle 120 degrees apart from each other. You should have three points all equidistant. No matter where you put the large body in relation to the smaller body it will be 120 from both Lagrange points.
62
posted on
02/27/2011 7:59:03 PM PST
by
TigersEye
(Who crashed the markets on 9/28/08 and why?)
To: LonePalm
OK, but the size of a Lagrange point is something entirely different than the question of whether an LP is 120 degrees in front of and behind the smaller body or the larger body.
63
posted on
02/27/2011 8:02:42 PM PST
by
TigersEye
(Who crashed the markets on 9/28/08 and why?)
To: TigersEye
Yes, that is what the text said. Draw a circle on a piece of paper. Draw points on the circle 120 degrees apart from each other. You should have three points all equidistant. No matter where you put the large body in relation to the smaller body it will be 120 from both Lagrange points.I have one thing to say to that...
To: TigersEye
I think the problem with articles like this is the (natural) tendency of lay authors to try to simplify complicated scientific theory in order to make it accesible to the masses. An earlier post noted that the Lagrangian points that are most likely to be inhabited by a third body (ie., a larger planet) are actually 60 degrees (not 120) in front of and behind the smaller body.
To: TigersEye
Does this help?
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Lagrangianpointsanimated.gif/330px-Lagrangianpointsanimated.gif)
The L4 & L5 are SIXTY DEGREES leading and trailing of the planet involved.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
66
posted on
02/27/2011 8:13:52 PM PST
by
LonePalm
(Commander and Chef)
To: Lancey Howard
You got it! I’m glad because I had no idea how to proceed to give a clearer explanation. I was at the outer limit of my mental orbit. ;^)
67
posted on
02/27/2011 8:16:57 PM PST
by
TigersEye
(Who crashed the markets on 9/28/08 and why?)
To: LonePalm
No, not at all. What happened to 120 degree separations?
68
posted on
02/27/2011 8:19:09 PM PST
by
TigersEye
(Who crashed the markets on 9/28/08 and why?)
To: cripplecreek
Cool link!
I got 2 planets in a crazy elliptical orbit around a third.
69
posted on
02/27/2011 8:19:22 PM PST
by
airborne
(Powerful public unions and fiscal calamity. (Notice how those go hand in hand?))
To: Lancey Howard
You can not have a 'larger' (more massive) body in the L4 or L5 points. If you did, than it would become the planet and the original planet would occupy the Lagrange point.
In fact, the cumulative mass at any of the Lagrange points can not be greater than a small fraction to the planet. You might get something the size of the earth into Jupiter's L4 or L5 but you couldn't get something the size of Saturn. The two masses would destroy each others orbit.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
70
posted on
02/27/2011 8:25:34 PM PST
by
LonePalm
(Commander and Chef)
To: TigersEye
The article was WRONG.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
71
posted on
02/27/2011 8:34:26 PM PST
by
LonePalm
(Commander and Chef)
To: LonePalm
The article was WRONG. Finally, an answer to the question.
72
posted on
02/27/2011 8:47:10 PM PST
by
TigersEye
(Who crashed the markets on 9/28/08 and why?)
To: screaminsunshine
73
posted on
02/28/2011 3:42:33 AM PST
by
hattend
(Obama got his 3am call about Egypt. The call went right to the answering machine.- Sarah Palin)
To: cripplecreek
74
posted on
02/28/2011 3:44:11 AM PST
by
TangoLimaSierra
(To the left the truth looks Right-Wing.)
To: SunkenCiv
This is a great picture! Painting, whatever, it’s not real, right? Some sort of graphics?
75
posted on
02/28/2011 7:43:04 AM PST
by
Beowulf9
To: Beowulf9
It’s an artist’s conception, but I agree, it’s pretty cool.
76
posted on
02/28/2011 5:41:38 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
77
posted on
02/28/2011 7:28:20 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
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