Pluto’s Resonant Orbit Visualized in 4D

Abstract

Abstract Orbital resonance phenomena are notoriously difficult to communicate in words due to the complex dynamics arising from the interplay of gravity and orbital angular momentum. A well known example is Pluto’s 3:2 mean motion resonance with Neptune. We have developed a python software tool to visualize the full three-dimensional aspects of Pluto’s resonant orbital dynamics over time. The visualizations include still images and animated movies. By contrasting Pluto’s resonant dynamics with the dynamics of a nearby non-resonant orbit, this tool enables better understanding and exploration of complex planetary dynamics phenomena.