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Re: starship-design: Re: Telescopes in Orbit



KellySt@aol.com writes:
 > 
 > In a message dated 7/7/97 11:23:40 PM, lparker@cacaphony.net (L. Parker)
 > wrote:
 > 
 > >So the question is: what exactly is the distance between the leading 
 > >LaGrange point and the trailing LaGrange point? It would be awfully 
 > >convenient if it was 300,000 km....
 > >
 > >Lee Parker
 > 
 > Closer to 500,000 km I think.

The L4 and L5 points are 60 degrees ahead of and behind the Moon in its
orbit; the points form equilateral triangles with the Moon and Earth.
Since the Moon's orbital radius is about 400,000 km, the distance
between the L4 and L5 points would be about sqrt(3)/2 * 800,000 or some
700,000 km apart.