Abstract
The restricted problem of 2+2 bodies is applied to the study of the stability and dynamics of binary asteroids in the solar system. Numerical investigation of the behavior of the orbital elements and the maximal Lyapunov characteristic number of binary asteroids reveal extensive regions where bounded quasiperiodic motion is possible. These regions are compared to the bounded regions which are predicted by the classical restricted problem of three bodies. Regions of bounded chaotic solutions are also found.
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Whipple, A.L., White, L.K. Stability of binary asteroids. Celestial Mechanics 35, 95–104 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01229115
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01229115