Orbital Resonance

Dynamic relationship between bodies in heliocentricCentered around a sun. Our own Solar System is centered around the Sun so that all planets such as Earth orbit around the Sun. Note that 25% of Americans incorrectly believe the Sun revolves around the Earth. Click on Term to Read More orbits in which a small body has an orbital periodThe length of time it takes an orbiting object to make one complete trip around its primary body. The Earth’s orbital period around the Sun is 1 year and the Moon's is one 27.3 days. Mercury's orbital period is ~88 days (closest to the Sun) and Neptune's is ~165 years Click on Term to Read More that is a simple fraction of a nearby larger body such as Asteroid BeltBelt located between 2.12 and 3.3 AU from the Sun and located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter containing the vast majority of asteroids. The asteroid belt is also termed the main asteroid belt or main belt to distinguish it from other asteroid populations in the Solar System such Click on Term to Read More objects and Jupiter. The periodic gravitational tug of the large body induces changes in the orbitThe elliptical path of one body around another, typically the path of a small body around a much larger body. However, depending on the mass distribution of the objects, they may rotate around an empty spot in space • The Moon orbits around the Earth. • The Earth orbits around Click on Term to Read More of the smaller body that over time can sometimes cause the smaller body to be pulled into the larger body. Orbital resonance is the mechanism that is responsible for the Kirkwood GapsLack of asteroids in regions within the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) coinciding with orbital periods that are simple fractions of Jupiter’s own orbital period. The absence of asteroids in these gaps is due to resonance with Jupiter’s gravitational influence.         Click on Term to Read More.