Celestial mechanics

Celestial mechanics applies mechanics and gravitation to explain and predict the motions of planets, moons, comets, and other celestial bodies.

Newton's law of universal gravitation: A law stating that every mass attracts every other mass with a force proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to distance squared. It supplies the gravitational force used to calculate celestial trajectories.
Classical mechanics: The physical framework describing motion and forces at scales where quantum and relativistic effects are negligible. Celestial mechanics extends its principles to astronomical systems.
Claudius Ptolemy: A second-century Greek-Egyptian astronomer whose Almagest presented a mathematical model of planetary motions. His geocentric system shaped mathematical astronomy before heliocentric models prevailed.
Orbit determination: The estimation of an object's orbit from observations of its position and motion. It turns telescopic and tracking measurements into usable trajectories.
General relativity: Einstein's theory describing gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by matter and energy. It corrects Newtonian celestial mechanics when gravity is strong or precision demands are high.
Kepler's laws of planetary motion: Three empirical rules describing planetary orbits, orbital areas, and the relation between orbital period and size. They summarize the regular patterns that gravitational mechanics explains.
Gravitation: The physical interaction by which masses attract and influence one another. It is the dominant force shaping the motions of most large astronomical systems.
Nicolaus Copernicus: A Renaissance astronomer who developed a heliocentric model placing the Sun near the center of planetary motion. His model reorganized the geometry that astronomers used to describe planetary paths.
Astrodynamics: The application of orbital mechanics to spacecraft trajectories and maneuvers. It uses celestial-motion models to plan and navigate spaceflight.
Post-Newtonian approximation: A method for approximating relativistic gravitational effects as corrections to Newtonian equations. It bridges classical orbital calculations and relativistic predictions.

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