Astrophysics (Index)About

Kirkwood gap

(gaps in asteroid orbital radii corresponding to Jupiter resonances)

A Kirkwood gap is an area of few of asteroids, that corresponds to locations where a body would be in orbital resonance with Jupiter. For example, at the location where an object would have a third the orbital period of Jupiter's, there are few asteroids. The most prominent gaps are at the 4:1, 3:1, 5:2, 7:3, and 2:1 orbital resonances. The gaps form because asteroids in such resonances gain eccentricity, the evolving orbits eventually losing the resonance. Daniel Kirkwood first discovered the phenomena in 1866.


(asteroids,orbits,dynamics)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkwood_gap
https://nineplanets.org/kirkwood-gap/
https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/diagrams/mb_hist.html

Referenced by page:
Mars crosser (MC)

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