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orbital period
astronomy
Learn about this topic in these articles:
Neptune
- In Neptune: Basic astronomical data
Having an orbital period of 164.79 years, Neptune has circled the Sun only once since its discovery in September 1846. Consequently, astronomers expect to be making refinements in calculating its orbital size and shape well into the 21st century. Voyager 2’s encounter with Neptune resulted in a…
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spaceflight
- In spaceflight: Earth orbit
…complete revolution is called the orbital period. At 200 km this is about 90 minutes. The orbital period increases with altitude for two reasons. First, as the altitude increases, Earth’s gravity decreases, so the orbital velocity needed to balance it decreases. Second, the spacecraft has to travel farther to circle…
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