Lagrange Points Could Become Battlegrounds in a New Space Race

Re:Lagrange Points Could Become Battlegrounds in a New Space... by lm28469 on Monday December 25, 2023 @06:09PM (#38767211)

It's a point of equilibrium, a point of equilibrium can be stable or unstable

A glass bead at the bottom of a bowl is in a stable equilibrium, if you shake the bowl side to side it'll come back at the bottom. A basketball spinning on your index finger is in an unstable equilibrium, it stays there while the conditions are met and any small deviation will make it fall

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Re:Lagrange Points Could Become Battlegrounds in a New Space... by lostmsu on Tuesday December 26, 2023 @10:19PM (#38778729)

You just basically restated the problem, and given no explanation for L2 specifics.

L2 is called unstable above. So orbiting around it instead of hovering immediately at it should be like trying to spin a ball slightly off the tip of your finger. E.g. you wouldn't want to do it.

Sibling replies have proper explanations.

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