The Effect of Resonance on Stability in a Planetary System
Date:
Resonance usually means stable in planetary dynamics. However, I found an interesting phenomenon in our Solar System. In Kuiper belt, resonant orbits are crowded with objects. However, in the asteroid belt, there are so-called “kirkwood gaps”, which are unstable and rarely host objects. This contradictory fact made me explore the truth of both belts. Finally, I found that kirkwood gaps are special because they are actually the overlap resonant orbits of both Mars and Jupiter, making them unstable. See a draft here.