Daily News Analysis

Lagrange Points

stylish_lining

Lagrange Points

 

  1. They are points in space between celestial bodies where a spacecraft stays more or less stationary.
  2. Lagrange points are found along the plane of two objects in orbit around their common centre of gravity, where their gravitational forces cancel each other, so that a third body of negligible mass will remain at rest between them.
  3. Advantages:
    1. Best ‘parking spots’ in space for satellites
    2. Ideal for controllers on the ground to communicate with spacecraft stationed at these points.
    3. Spacecraft will need very little fuel to remain in orbit or to launch to another planet,
  4. Lagrange points exist throughout the Solar System due to this gravitational interaction between the sun and the planets and their moons.
  5. Of the five Lagrange points L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5,
    1. Lagrange points – L1, L2, and L3 are unstable positions which lies along an imaginary straight line connecting the two larger bodies. These unstable positions can easily de-orbited objects by even weak forces, and then drift off into space.
    2. Points L4 and L5 are stable locations that form the apexes of two imaginary equilateral triangles with the two large celestial bodies at the vertices of each triangle. But they also tend to accumulate interstellar dust and asteroids called Trojans.
  6. The recently launched Aditya-L1 by ISRO is designated to a parking slot at L1 in the sun-earth system.
  7. Robotic explorers placed in L1:
    1. NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite
    2. Deep Space Climate Observatory
    3. Advanced Composition Explorer
    4. The Global Geospace Science Wind satellite. 
  8. Upcoming missions to park objects at L1:
    1. Three U.S. probes – Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, Near Earth Object Surveyor, Space Weather Follow.
    2. The European Vigil mission.

Financial Inclusion Index

The Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index), as reported by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is a key metric that measures the level of financial inclusion across the country. Overview of the Fin
Share It

International Seabed Authority

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is currently in the midst of negotiations regarding the extraction of metals from the high seas, particularly as U.S. efforts to fast-track this practice h
Share It

Election of Vice-President of India

Article 64 of the Constitution of India specifies that the Vice-President's post cannot remain vacant for any period of time, as it is essential for the functioning of the Rajya Sabha (Council
Share It

Maharashtra Scraps Hindi as Compulsory Third Language

The Maharashtra government recently scrapped its Government Resolutions (GRs) that mandated Hindi as a compulsory third language from Grades 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. While the
Share It

River Pollution in India

The Delhi government's focus on cleaning up the Yamuna River is part of a larger national effort to rejuvenate the Ganga River and its tributaries, in alignment with the Namami Gange Programme
Share It

Infrastructure Failures

The recent collapse of the Mahisagar River Bridge in Vadodara, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 people, underscores the growing concern over India's infrastructure quality. Similar
Share It

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

The Supreme Court (SC) is currently reviewing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) process for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, suggesting that Aadhaar,
Share It

GM Crop

In ongoing trade talks, the United States is advocating for India to open its agriculture market to genetically modified (GM) crops. However, India has firmly rejected this proposal, citing concer
Share It

India-Brazil Relations

India and Brazil share a growing and dynamic bilateral relationship that has evolved across various sectors since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1948. Their Strategic Partnership, formali
Share It

Legislative Productivity

The Lok Sabha Speaker’s remarks about the need to enhance legislative productivity reflect growing concerns about the diminishing effectiveness of India’s legislative bodies. The chall
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS