Spin-orbit coupling in the solar system

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2009-05

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Abstract

The existence of the exact commensurability between the periods of rotation and revolution of a satellite orbiting a planet is not a rare phenomenon in the Solar system. In fact, there are several examples of such resonances with the Earth-Moon system being the most familiar example of a 1:1 (synchronous) resonance. In this report, I will discuss the questions of stability of five resonant systems (Moon – Earth, Enceladus - Saturn, Dione - Saturn, Rhea – Saturn, and Mercury – Sun (the only non – synchronous resonance among the evolved spin – orbit resonances in the Solar system). Several authors have investigated the stability of spin-orbit resonances, and, in this report, I will concentrate on the two most recent investigations.

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