A Discussion of Halphen's Method for Secular Perturbations and Its Application to the Determination of Long Range Effects in the Motions of Celestial Bodies
Author: Peter Musen
Publisher:
Published: 1963
Total Pages: 64
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe long range effects caused by the moon and the sun are of primary importance in establishing the stability of highly eccentric satellite orbits. At present no complete analytical theory exists which can treat such orbits. It is shown here that Halphen's method of treating secular planetary effects can, by means of step-by-step integration, also be used to determine long range lunar effects in the motions of artificial satellites. Halphen's method permits the numerical integration of long range lunar effects can be treated by averaging the disturbing function over the orbit of the satellite. Halphen's method is applicable to the determination of long range ("secular") effects in the motion of minor planets over the interval of hundreds of thousands of years. We assume that no sharp commensurability between mean motions of the disturbed and disturbing bodies does exist. A complete theory of Halphen's method is presented in modern symbols. Goursat transformations and a summability process are applied to speed the convergence of series which appear in the theory.