Orbital Dynamics Vocab

Front

Ellipse

Back

A stretched oval shape; the shape of planetary orbits.

Front

Elliptical Orbit

Back

An orbit shaped like an ellipse rather than a circle.

Front

Orbit

Back

The curved path of an object around a star or planet.

Front

Foci

Back

The two fixed points inside an ellipse; one is often the Sun.

Front

Eccentricity

Back

A value from 0 to 1 that describes how circular or oval an orbit is.

Front

Major Axis

Back

The longest line through the center of an ellipse, passing through both foci.

Front

Eccentric

Back

Describes an orbit that is more oval and less circular.

Front

Kepler’s First Law

Back

States that planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.

Front

Kepler’s Second Law

Back

States that a planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun.

Front

Kepler’s Third Law

Back

Explains the relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and its orbital period.