Equilibrium Points and Periodic Orbits in the Vicinity of Asteroids with an Application to 216 Kleopatra

Yu Jiang

Published 2015-03-14Version 1

In this study, equilibrium points and periodic orbits in the potential field of asteroids are investigated. We present the linearized equations of motion relative to the equilibrium points and characteristic equations. We find that the distribution of characteristic multipliers of periodic orbits around the equilibrium point and the distribution of eigenvalues of the equilibrium point correspond to each other. The distribution of eigenvalues of the equilibrium point confirms the topology and the stability of periodic orbits around the equilibrium point.