Related papers: Why do Earth satellites stay up?
The orbital properties of infalling satellite halos set the initial conditions which control the subsequent evolution of subhalos and the galaxies that they host, with implications for mass stripping, star formation quenching, and merging.…
The gravitational influence of a second satellite on the rotation of an oblate moon is numerically examined. A simplified model, assuming the axis of rotation perpendicular to the (Keplerian) orbit plane, is derived. The differences between…
The equilibrium rotation of tidally evolved "Earth-like" extra-solar planets is often assumed to be synchronous with their orbital mean motion. The same assumption persisted for Mercury and Venus until radar observations revealed their true…
Changes in planetary obliquity, or axial tilt, influence the climates on Earth-like planets. In the solar system, the Earth's obliquity is stabilized due to interactions with our moon and the resulting {small amplitude variations…
We provide stability estimates, obtained by implementing the Nekhoroshev theorem, in reference to the orbital motion of a small body (satellite or space debris) around the Earth. We consider a Hamiltonian model, averaged over fast angles,…
As gravity is a long-range force, one might a priori expect the Universe's global matter distribution to select a preferred rest frame for local gravitational physics. At the post-Newtonian approximation, two parameters suffice to describe…
Motion of stellar-mass satellites is studied around a massive compact body which is surrounded by a gaseous slab of a stationary accretion disc. The satellites suffer an orbital decay due to hydrodynamical interaction with the disc medium…
We study the apparent optical brightness of satellite streaks in ground-based observatory cameras as the orbit height is varied. This is done via simulations. Several factors are in play: the range to the satellite, satellite size and…
The recent discovery of rings and massive satellites around minor bodies and dwarf planets suggests that they may often coexist, as for example around Haumea. A ring perturbed by an oblate central body and by an inclined satellite may…
The study of off-equatorial orbits in razor-thin disks is still in its beginnings. Contrary to what was presented in the literature in recent publications, the vertical stability criterion for equatorial circular orbits cannot be based on…
Topical observations of the thermosphere at altitudes below $200 \, km$ are of great benefit in advancing the understanding of the global distribution of mass, composition, and dynamical responses to geomagnetic forcing, and momentum…
Since it was proposed the exomoon candidate Kepler-1625 b-I changed the way we see satellite systems. Because of its unusual physical characteristics, many questions about the stability and origin of this candidate were raised. Currently,…
This paper presents sufficient conditions for small-time local controllability of a control-affine system that describes the rotational motion of a satellite in a circular orbit. The satellite is modeled as a rigid body subject to…
The high frequency of satellite launches, particularly over the last few years, has been a subject of significant concern, particularly relating to the future of observational astronomy, the stability of low Earth orbits, and environmental…
The growth of the population of space debris in the geostationary ring and the resulting threat to active satellites require insight into the dynamics of uncontrolled objects in the region. A Monte Carlo simulation analyzed the sensitivity…
Satellites around large asteroids are preferentially found among those with the most rapid rotation and elongated shape. The taxonomic statistics are similarly skewed; in total, 13 asteroids larger than 100 km are known to have satellites,…
Pluto's system of 5 known satellites are in a puzzling orbital configuration. Each of the four small satellites are on low-eccentricity and low-inclination orbits situated near a mean motion resonance with the largest satellite Charon. The…
Nowadays, many extrasolar planetary systems possessing at least one planet on a highly eccentric orbit have been discovered. In this work, we study the possible long-term stability of such systems. We consider the general three body problem…
We present a semiclassical analysis of the instability of an electron shuttle composed of three quantum dots: two are fixed and coupled via leads to electron resevoirs at different chemical potentials, while the central dot is mounted on a…
We are analyzing a sample of closeby galaxy systems, each comprising a bright isolated spiral and its satellites. We find an excess (56%) of prograde satellites over retrograde, which basically holds for all angular displacements from the…