orbit

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Understand how the Earth remain stable in orbit around the sun

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

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

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Person paying with a credit card using a credit card terminal. Cashless payment, credit card reader

What Is a Cashless Society and How Does It Work?

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd

Causes of the Great Depression

Washington DC.,USA, April 26, 1989. Supporters for and against legal abortion face off during a protest outside the United States Supreme Court Building during Webster V Health Services

Pro and Con: Abortion

General Pershing's troops moving into Mexico in 1917 during World War I.

Timeline of World War I

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

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

Science & Tech

orbit

astronomy

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 19, 2024 • Article History

Earth's orbit

See all media

Category: Science & Tech

Key People:: Carl Friedrich Gauss; Edmond Halley; Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier; Ruggero Giuseppe Boscovich; Jean-Baptiste-Gaspard Bochart de Saron

Related Topics:: hyperbolic orbit; elliptical orbit; osculating orbit; circular orbit; orbital element

On the Web:: National Geographic - Orbit (Mar. 19, 2024)

See all related content →

orbit, in astronomy, path of a body revolving around an attracting centre of mass, as a planet around the Sun or a satellite around a planet. In the 17th century, Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton discovered the basic physical laws governing orbits; in the 20th century, Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity supplied a more exact description. The orbit of a planet is, if unaffected by the attraction of another planet, elliptical; some elliptical orbits are very nearly circles, while others are much elongated. Some bodies may follow parabolic or hyperbolic paths (open-ended curves). The orbit of a body approaching ...(100 of 577 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.