Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 316 4 ii Solution 2026-09-25
At periapsis, . If the planet has longitude there, thenso is the angular displacement of periapsis from the planet, modulo . At an astronomical conjunction, , andso is the conjunction longitude measured from periapsis, with the possible branches differing by .
The planet's mean motion is . Hence the synodic period, or mean interval between conjunctions, iswhere is the planetesimal's orbital period.