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Hey nerds. For whatever reason this morning I became curious and decided to get a better understanding of Lagrange points. One thing I'm having trouble finding info about is if there are any practical differences between L4 and L5. Most of the (admittedly basic) explanations I've treat them as precisely equivalent. Howerver one point leads the smaller body in the orbit and the other trails it, so there must be some quirks to each, no? Can someone please explain?

Side note: There is/was an "L5 Society" to "to promote the space colony ideas of Gerard K. O'Neill". Why did they choose "L5" and not "L4"? Did they just think it sounded cooler?

#lagrange #space #physics #orbitalmechanics #gravity #science