Concept information
Preferred term
orbital element
Definition(s)
- An orbital element is any one of six elements needed to specify the orbit of an object around a primary body, such as a planet around the Sun or a satellite around the Earth. The semi-major axis (a) and the eccentricity (e) give the size and shape of the orbit, and the inclination (i ) of the object's orbital plane to the ecliptic, the longitude of the ascending node, and the longitude of perihelion specify the orientation of the orbit in space. A sixth quantity determines the position of the object along the orbit at any given time. This can be the time of perihelion passage (T) or the longitude at the epoch. (Encyclopedia of Science, by David Darling, https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/O/orbital_element.html)
Broader concept(s)
Narrower concept(s)
In other languages
-
French
URI
http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-MTR04MTS-9
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