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quasi-satellite

File:Quasi-satellite_diagram.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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quasi-satellite

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Also known as quasisatellite, quasi-moon, quasimoon

right|200px|thumb|Diagram of generic quasi-satellite orbit A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration (1:1 orbital resonance) with a planet (or dwarf planet) where the object stays close to that planet over many orbital periods.

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Commons category
Quasi-satellites
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Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Examples
  • Venus
  • Earth
  • Ceres
  • Neptune
  • Other planets
  • Artificial quasi-satellites
  • Accidental quasi-satellites
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

right|200px|thumb|Diagram of generic quasi-satellite orbit A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration (1:1 orbital resonance) with a planet (or dwarf planet) where the object stays close to that planet over many orbital periods.

A quasi-satellite's orbit around the Sun takes the same time as the planet's, but has a different eccentricity (usually greater), as shown in the diagram. When viewed from the perspective of the planet by an observer facing the Sun, the quasi-satellite will appear to travel in an oblong retrograde loop around the planet. .

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “quasi-satellite” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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