image by Wikimedia Commons
These awesome things are points in orbital mechanics in which a object in orbit can remain stationary relative to two large objects. This relies on a few things, one of which is that the objects are only affected by gravity.
In this example, in which the Sun is the large body in the middle and the Earth the other smaller body in orbit, there are five points at which an object in orbit would remain theoretically stationary.
How to find these points (simplified):
Point 1: This point lies on the line between the two large masses (defined as M1 and M2). At this point (defined as L1) the gravitational attraction of the central large mass is just enough to cancel out the gravitational attraction of the smaller mass, but not so much as to overpower it.
Point 2: This point lies beyond the orbit of the smaller mass and again lies on the line defined by M1 and M2. At this point the gravitational effects of both masses are equal to the centrifugal effect on the mass at the point (defined as L2).
Point 3: This point (defined L3) lies again on the line defined by M1 and M2, but this time beyond the larger mass. This point can be deceptive in its placement. Due to the fact that it orbits two masses, it’s orbital centre will not lie on either M1 or M2, but rather somewhere in between.
Point 4 & 5: Both of these points (defined as L4 and L5 are found in the same manner, and can be placed through the use of simple geometry. If you draw an imaginary line between M1 and M2, and then take that line and create an equaliteral triangle, the intersection that does not lie within M1 or M2 is the last Lagrange Point.
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