The Kozai Mechanism Flips Orbits

Outer bodies can destabilize inner ones.

Highly inclined orbits of distant bodies can exchange eccentricity and inclination with inner objects, flipping or elongating their orbits.

Why This Matters

This affects long-term stability of exoplanet systems and asteroid belts.

It’s crucial for predicting potential collisions or ejections in solar systems.

Did You Know?

Some exoplanets have highly eccentric orbits due to Kozai interactions.

Source

[European Space Agency, esa.int]

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