Orbiting body
Encyclopedia
In astrodynamics
, an orbiting body (
) is a body that orbit
s a primary body
(
).
The orbiting body is properly referred to as the secondary body.
It is less massive than the primary body (i.e.
).
Under standard assumptions in astrodynamics the barycenter of the two bodies is a focus
of both orbit
s.
Astrodynamics
Orbital mechanics or astrodynamics is the application of ballistics and celestial mechanics to the practical problems concerning the motion of rockets and other spacecraft. The motion of these objects is usually calculated from Newton's laws of motion and Newton's law of universal gravitation. It...
, an orbiting body (
) is a body that orbitOrbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
s a primary body
Central body
In astrodynamics a central body is a body that is being orbited by an secondary body, or satellite .The central body is properly referred to as the primary body.Under standard assumptions in astrodynamics:...
(
).The orbiting body is properly referred to as the secondary body.
It is less massive than the primary body (i.e.
).Under standard assumptions in astrodynamics the barycenter of the two bodies is a focus
Focus
Focus, FOCUS, or foci may refer to:In science, mathematics or computing:*Focus , selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things...
of both orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
s.