Orbits around the Lagrange Point L4
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Stationary solutions for the restricted three-body problem, in which two massive bodies move in circular orbits about one another, exhibit five Lagrange points, locations at which the gravitational forces of the two heavier bodies exactly balances the centripetal force on any much lighter body. The fourth Lagrange point L4 (and also the fifth L5) is off to one side of the two heavy bodies. The lighter body can orbit around L4 or L5, which are themselves in motion.
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Contributed by: Enrique Zeleny (June 2012)
Based on a program by: Paul Nylander
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
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See also the video "Trojan Asteroid Dances Ahead of the Earth as It Orbits of the Sun".
Permanent Citation
"Orbits around the Lagrange Point L4"
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/OrbitsAroundTheLagrangePointL4/
Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Published: June 11 2012