How Does Resonance Affect Satellite Orbits?

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baxter
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Hello

I would like to understand the resonance phenomenon that can occurs when we deals with satellite's orbits.

Here what it is said about it :

Orbits for which the secular rates of the arguments in some terms of
the disturbing function, may be so close to zero that their periodic
variation is more significant; that is, we have a resonant situation in which
there may be libration rather than secular motion.

KAULA - Theory of satellite geodesy - p. 49

http://lib.freescienceengineering.org/search.php?search_type=author&search_text=kaula&submit=Dig+for

What does libration mean ? What things should we be carreful when we deal with resonance ?

Thanks
 
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Libration is usually a sort of circulation around in a pattern. Secular motions are very-long period, so much so that they can seem to be non-periodic, and seem to just flow in one direction.
Resonances are usually just simple numeric ratios between bodies in orbit. There is a famous one between Jupiter and Saturn - 5 orbits of Jupiter take place in roughly the same time as 2 orbits of Saturn.
 
4. A resonance occurs when there is a near-exact relation between characteristic frequencies of two bodies. For example, a mean-motion resonance occurs between two
planets with orbital periods...

copy and past from this article.

LECTURE NOTES ON THE FORMATION AND
EARLY EVOLUTION OF PLANETARY SYSTEMS
http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0701485.pdf

its briefly covered in chapter 4. page 3

hope this helps as well as the article itself
 
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