- #1
jackal123
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- Homework Statement
- If an object is placed at a Lagrange point in outer space it will orbit the Sun ‘in concert’ with the Earth. Basically, the combined gravity of the Earth and Sun create the proper force to keep the object “fixed” in the Earth-Sun system. There are five Lagrange points. I’d like you to find the second Lagrange point labeled L2 above. By find I mean determine its distance, d, from the Earth. You may use the mass of the Earth and Sun, as well as the distance between the Earth and Sun.
- Relevant Equations
- (GMsun m)/(r+d)^2 + (GMearth m )/(d^2) = m * GMsun / r^3 * (r+d)
So we are finding the L2 Lagrange point, specifically the distance from the earth, or d in this instance. I have used the equation above and I have come out with 1.5 * 10^9 meters as d, or L2's distance from the earth. Can anyone verify this, is the equation correct and is my final distance accurate?