
The region of influence of the second body is shortest in that direction, and so it acts as the limiting factor for the size of the Hill sphere. The Hill sphere extends between the Lagrangian points L 1 and L 2, which lie along the line of centers of the two bodies. A small third body can orbit the second within the Hill sphere, with this resultant force as centripetal force.

The Hill sphere is the largest sphere, centered at the second body, within which the sum of the three fields is directed towards the second body.


A Hill sphere approximates the gravitational sphere of influence of one astronomical body in the face of perturbations from another heavier body around which it orbits.
