Sun–Earth L2
E59342
Sun–Earth L2 is a gravitationally stable point in space located beyond Earth's orbit where the combined gravity of the Sun and Earth allows spacecraft, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, to maintain a relatively constant position with minimal fuel use.
Observed surface forms (3)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Sun–Earth L2 point | 4 |
| Sun–Earth L2 Lagrange point | 1 |
| Sun–Earth L2 halo orbit | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Lagrange point
ⓘ
gravitational equilibrium point ⓘ |
| advantage |
continuous view of deep space away from Sun and Earth
ⓘ
reduced fuel consumption for orbit maintenance compared to free heliocentric orbit ⓘ relatively constant geometry with Earth and Sun ⓘ stable thermal environment for spacecraft ⓘ |
| benefitForTelescopes |
minimal Earth occultation of observed sky
ⓘ
reduced stray light from Earth and Moon ⓘ simplified sunshield design ⓘ |
| communication | continuous line of sight to Earth with high-gain antenna steering ⓘ |
| coOrbitsWith | Earth ⓘ |
| coordinateFrame | Sun–Earth rotating frame ⓘ |
| directionFromEarth | away from the Sun ⓘ |
| discoveredBy | Joseph-Louis Lagrange ⓘ |
| discoveryMethod | analytical solution of restricted three-body problem ⓘ |
| distanceFromEarth |
about 0.01 astronomical units
ⓘ
approximately 1.5 million kilometers ⓘ |
| field |
astrodynamics
ⓘ
celestial mechanics ⓘ |
| gravitationalInfluence |
Earth
ⓘ
Sun ⓘ |
| illuminationCondition | Sun, Earth, and Moon remain on same side of spacecraft ⓘ |
| label | L2 ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Solar System
ⓘ
surface form:
Sun–Earth system
|
| missionDesign | spacecraft typically orbit around L2 rather than sit exactly at the point ⓘ |
| orbitalPeriod | approximately 1 year ⓘ |
| orbits | Sun ⓘ |
| positionType | collinear Lagrange point ⓘ |
| relatedConcept | Lagrange points L1, L3, L4, L5 in Sun–Earth system ⓘ |
| relativeTo |
Earth
ⓘ
Sun ⓘ |
| requires | station-keeping maneuvers ⓘ |
| stabilityAxes |
stable in rotating frame with active control
ⓘ
unstable along radial direction ⓘ |
| stabilityType | metastable ⓘ |
| typicalOrbit |
Lissajous orbit
ⓘ
halo orbit ⓘ |
| usedBy |
Euclid spacecraft
ⓘ
Gaia observatory ⓘ
surface form:
Gaia spacecraft
Herschel Space Observatory ⓘ James Webb Space Telescope ⓘ Planck spacecraft ⓘ Spektr-RG observatory ⓘ |
| usedFor |
astrometry
ⓘ
cosmic microwave background observations ⓘ cosmology missions ⓘ infrared astronomy ⓘ |
Referenced by (8)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Sun–Earth L2 point
this entity surface form:
Sun–Earth L2 point
this entity surface form:
Sun–Earth L2 point
this entity surface form:
Sun–Earth L2 point
this entity surface form:
Sun–Earth L2 Lagrange point
this entity surface form:
Sun–Earth L2 halo orbit