3 ms·
The description makes me think it might be a Horseshoe Orbit [0], where something spends time in about the same circular orbit, but slowly bounces back and fort
by Terr_ 1y ago
The description makes me think it might be a Horseshoe Orbit [0], where something spends time in about the same circular orbit, but slowly bounces back and forth through the unoccupied portion.
Looking up 2025 PN7 [1], it says:
> Over time, it may transition between quasi-satellite and horseshoe orbits due to gravitational perturbations.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_PN7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_PN7
- JumpCrisscross 1y agoThe math on that orbit is making my head hurt beautifully—thank you!
- Terr_ 1y agoIt's like a bit from The Smoke Ring (or Integral Trees) by Larry Niven, where a very weird planetary configuration made a human-habitable ecosystem out of an orbiting ring of gas. [0] The locals refer to "East" as in the direction of orbit (prograde), "In" as towards the central star, and teach their children: "East takes you Out, Out takes you West, West takes you In, In takes you East, North and South take you back." [0] https://kaiserscience.wordpress.com/physics/gravity/physics-of-the-integral-trees-and-the-smoke-ring/ https://kaiserscience.wordpress.com/physics/gravity/physics-...