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A team of astronomers and physicists has confirmed the 5-decade theory that dust clouds gravitate around the Earth. These elusive dust clouds move with the Earth and the Moon – like the three sides of a triangle – at a stable distance of 4,000,000 km from the Earth.
The study is based on a 1961 study by Polish astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski, who found Lagrange's L4 and L5 plates. He badumed that these spots were dust clouds. This speculation can only be confirmed now.
In many other studies, dust clouds have been attributed to one of the five "Lagrange Points" near the Earth-Moon system. The Lagrange points are located near two large celestial bodies (such as the Earth and the Moon or the Earth and the Sun). At these points, the combined gravitational attraction of the two large objects perfectly cancels the centripetal force of an object at that location. These points are not always stable but have immense value for space research. A spaceship at a Lagrange point will need a minimal amount of fuel to keep itself in position. As bizarre as it may seem, scientists have even considered moving pollution from the Earth to these points.
Image of representation. Courtesy of image: NASA
Two of these points in space – L4 and L5 – form a triangle tied with the Earth and the Moon, where are the 'Kordylewski clouds' confirmed by the new study. Lagrange points in space are neither fixed nor stable and are affected by external forces such as comets on the fly or variations of the gravitational attraction of the Sun.
In the Earth-Moon system, previous research had identified L4 and L5 as places where the dust of space could accumulate, at least temporarily. While these heavenly dust bunnies were theorized in 1961 by Kordylewski, the task of confirming their existence as a constant companion of the Earth and Moon has proven difficult until recently.
"Kordylewski's clouds are two of the most difficult objects to find and, although they are as close to Earth as the moon, are largely ignored by astronomers," said Judit Slíz-Balogh, a authors of the study of the Royal Astronomical Society told the press.
"It's intriguing to confirm that our planet has dusty pseudo-satellites in orbit alongside our lunar neighbor."
An image of the Lagrange points represented using gravity wells. The NASA James Webb telescope is positioned at point L2 and the confirmed dust clouds are at equilateral L4 and L5 of the Earth and Moon. Courtesy of image: World
The study team is studying exactly how stable these clouds are and whether dust poses a threat to astronauts or spacecraft pbading through them.
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