[Space] Binary star trojans

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by lexington

Physics isn't my strong suit but I'm fairly certain you can't orbit any Lagrange point, given that it isn't exerting a pull on objects near it.

Well, it turns out that there are orbits for a test mass in a two-body system that have the same period as the orbit of the two main bodies but which aren't similar to the orbits of the main bodies about the barycentre. In the co-rotating frame of reference these look like loops (often distorted loops) around empty points. There is a family of such "halo orbits" around L1, L2, and L3, which are truly periodic, and there are so-called "Lissajous orbits" around all of the L points, though those are only quasi-periodic and not really stable.

Look up "horseshoe orbit" and "tadpole orbit".

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Brett

Well, it turns out that there are orbits for a test mass in a two-body system that have the same period as the orbit of the two main bodies but which aren't similar to the orbits of the main bodies about the barycentre. In the co-rotating frame of reference these look like loops (often distorted loops) around empty points. There is a family of such "halo orbits" around L1, L2, and L3, which are truly periodic, and there are so-called "Lissajous orbits" around all of the L points, though those are only quasi-periodic and not really stable.

Look up "horseshoe orbit" and "tadpole orbit".

Hey, that's pretty cool. It seems like a designed system (assuming unlimited resources for fun) could put an object in orbit that maintains an certain level of artificial gravity due to the constant acceleration/deceleration of its orbit.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by lexington

Hey, that's pretty cool. It seems like a designed system (assuming unlimited resources for fun) could put an object in orbit that maintains an certain level of artificial gravity due to the constant acceleration/deceleration of its orbit.

Well, orbits are free-fall trajectories: an orbiting body accelerates, but only as directed by gravity, and that accelerates all masses equally. The planet and the things on its surface follow the same trajectory (and a good thing too!), so you'll get small effects similar to tides but no gross 'artificial gravity' effects. Unless you wander inside something's Roche limit.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Brett

Well, orbits are free-fall trajectories: an orbiting body accelerates, but only as directed by gravity, and that accelerates all masses equally. The planet and the things on its surface follow the same trajectory (and a good thing too!), so you'll get small effects similar to tides but no gross 'artificial gravity' effects. Unless you wander inside something's Roche limit.

Ah well, good thing I'm not an engineer.