What is the significance of the 2:3 resonance between Pluto and Neptune?
Answer
It stabilizes the orbit and prevents collisions between the two objects
Orbital resonance occurs when two bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, typically due to their orbital periods being related by a small integer ratio. For Pluto and Neptune, the 2:3 resonance means that Pluto completes two orbits around the Sun for every three orbits Neptune completes. This rhythmic gravitational relationship ensures that the two bodies never get close enough to collide, thereby maintaining the stability of Pluto's orbit over billions of years.
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