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The nominal semi-major axis of an exterior $(p+q):p$ mean-motion resonance follows from $(p+q)n_r=p{n}_p$ and Kepler's third law. Apsidal precession displaces the actual libration center because stationarity of the resonant argument requires $(p+q)n-p{n}_p-q\dot{\varpi }=0$.

In leading mean-conjunction geometry a common observer phase $x$ for two resonant arguments requires $qx={\varphi }_1$ and $nx={\varphi }_2$ modulo $2\pi$. With $d=\gcd (q,n)$, the exact modular criterion isNecessity follows by subtracting the two congruences after multiplication; sufficiency follows from the integer linear combinations of $q$ and $n$, whose set is $d\mathbb{Z}$. For exterior centres $\pi$ and interior centres $0,\pi ,0$ at orders one to three, only $q=n=2$ satisfies it. This is phase compatibility, not a guarantee of an observed exoplanet transit: timing, observer orientation, resonant-argument libration widths and true-versus-mean longitude must also be considered.

True longitude is the conventional orbital angle formed from the longitude of ascending node, argument of periapsis and true anomaly. For a coplanar Kepler orbit it is the actual polar longitude of the position vector. For an inclined orbital plane the sum of angles is generally not the projected azimuth. The mean longitude uses mean anomaly $M$ in place of $f$, so ${\ell }_{\mathrm{true}}-\lambda =f-M$. For small orbital eccentricity, Kepler's equation gives $E=M+e\sin M+O(e^2)$, while the eccentric-to-true anomaly relation gives $f=E+e\sin E+O(e^2)$; hence $f-M=2e\sin M+O(e^2)$. This periodic difference matters when separating a slow resonant argument from a rapidly varying geometric angle.