orbit

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Understand how the Earth remain stable in orbit around the sun

What causes the seasons?

Planet's orbital plane in relation to the ecliptic

Anomaly A-aphelion; B-perihelion; C-centre of the orbit; E-eccentric anomaly; P-planet; S-Sun; V-true anomaly

satellite orbits

effects of gravity on the Moon and Earth

A Poincaré section, or mapThe trajectory, or orbit, of an object x is sampled periodically, as indicated by the blue disk. The rate of change for the object is determined for each intersection of its orbit with the disk, as shown by P(x) and P2(x). This set of values can then be used to analyze the long-term stability of the system. For contrast, note the perfectly periodic orbit of the point o, as indicated by o = P(o).

Study how Earth's gravity influences the Moon in maintaining its rotation in sync, with one side forever facing Earth

Learn about Io, Jupiter's moon with the most active volcanoes in the solar system

Discover

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

World Data Locator Map: Australia

Is Australia an Island?

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.

10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

orbit: Related Content

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Photos and Videos

Planet's orbital plane in relation to the ecliptic

Anomaly A-aphelion; B-perihelion; C-centre of the orbit; E-eccentric anomaly; P-planet; S-Sun; V-true anomaly

satellite orbits

effects of gravity on the Moon and Earth

A Poincaré section, or mapThe trajectory, or orbit, of an object x is sampled periodically, as indicated by the blue disk. The rate of change for the object is determined for each intersection of its orbit with the disk, as shown by P(x) and P2(x). This set of values can then be used to analyze the long-term stability of the system. For contrast, note the perfectly periodic orbit of the point o, as indicated by o = P(o).

Understand how the Earth remain stable in orbit around the sun

What causes the seasons?

Study how Earth's gravity influences the Moon in maintaining its rotation in sync, with one side forever facing Earth

Learn about Io, Jupiter's moon with the most active volcanoes in the solar system

Learn more about the Nice model of solar system evolution and how samples brought back from the Moon fit within it

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

elliptical orbit circular orbit synchronous orbit osculating orbit hyperbolic orbit chaotic orbit orbital period orbital element geostationary orbit apse orbital velocity

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Key People

Carl Friedrich Gauss

Carl Friedrich Gauss

German mathematician

Edmond Halley

Edmond Halley

British scientist

Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier

French astronomer

Boscovich, detail of a portrait by an unknown artist; in Dubrovnik Cloister, Croatia

Ruggero Giuseppe Boscovich

Italian astronomer and mathematician

Jean-Baptiste-Gaspard Bochart de Saron

French scientist

Peter Andreas Hansen, detail from a lithograph by Rudolf Hoffmann, 1856

Peter Andreas Hansen

German astronomer

Pierre Mechain

French scientist

Quiz

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy