Gaia orbits L2 in a Lissajous orbit, with a maximum distance of around 350 000 km from its centre. By the time Euclid has completed one full revolution around L2, the Moon will have circled the Earth six times. In terms of distance, the ‘radius’ of Euclid’s orbit varies from about 400 000 kilometres at its closest to the centre, and up to 800 000 kilometres at its furthest. Several other space missions like Webb and Gaia also orbit L2 as it offers the perfect vantage point to study the Universe.Īt L2, the spacecraft can keep the Sun, Earth and Moon behind them at all times, so they don’t interfere with observations, while at the same time getting a clear view of deep space and pointing an antenna back to Earth to remain in close communication.Įuclid and Webb’s halo orbit around L2 is big. Located about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth in the opposite direction from the Sun, L2 is about four times further away than our Moon. The positions of the spacecraft in this animation don’t correspond to their current positions in space. This animation showcases the orbits of Euclid (green), the James Webb Space Telescope (blue), and the Gaia mission (yellow) around this unique position in space. In the month after its launch on 1 July, Euclid has travelled 1.5 million kilometres from Earth towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, meaning it has ‘arrived’ at its destination orbit.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |