Synchronous Satellites of Venus

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that certain quasi-satellites of Venus, previously thought unstable, can be stable for centuries and could be useful for surface monitoring, using Poincare's surface of section technique.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of Poincare's surface of section to identify long-term stable quasi-satellites of Venus.

Findings

Synchronous quasi-satellites are stable for centuries.

Such satellites stay close to Venus' equator and drift slowly.

Potential for continuous surface monitoring of Venus.

Abstract

Synchronous satellites of Venus have long been thought unstable, but we use Poincare's surface of section technique to show that synchronous quasi-satellites orbiting just outside Venus' Hill sphere are quite stable, at least for centuries. Such synchrosats always remain within a few degrees of Venus' equator, and drift very slowly in longitude. These synchrosats could be useful for continuous monitoring of points on Venus' surface, such as active landforms or long-lived landers.