Lagrange Points

space · gravity · physics

Perfect Balance Spots. Lagrange points are places where gravity from two big objects, like the Earth and Sun, pull equally on a smaller object so it stays still. It's like finding the exact middle ground where all the forces agree.

Five Magic Locations. There are five Lagrange points around any pair of orbiting bodies. Three of them are lined up between the objects, and two more form triangles out to the side where the gravitational pulls balance in a special way.

Earth and Sun Team. The Earth and Sun have five Lagrange points of their own. Scientists have placed space telescopes and satellites at some of these points because they stay in a fixed position without using much fuel to stay put.

James Webb's Home. The famous James Webb Space Telescope orbits at the L2 Lagrange point, about a million miles from Earth away from the Sun. This spot lets the telescope have a clear view of the universe without Earth or Sun getting in the way.

Named After a Genius. These points are named after Joseph-Louis Lagrange, a brilliant mathematician from the 1700s who figured out where these balance spots would be located in space.