Knowra Kepler orbit Kepler orbit A Kepler orbit is the idealized trajectory of one body around another under Newtonian inverse-square gravity. Its path is a conic section with the central body at one focus.
Newton's law of universal gravitation : Newton's law states that masses attract with a force proportional to their product and inversely proportional to their separation squared. This inverse-square force generates the conic trajectories that define Kepler orbits.
Conic section : A conic section is a curve formed by intersecting a plane with a cone, including ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. Every Kepler orbit belongs to one of these conic families.
Two-body problem : The two-body problem describes the motion of two masses interacting solely through their mutual gravitational attraction. Its exact Newtonian solution produces Kepler orbits for motion relative to the system's center of mass.
Perturbation theory : Perturbation theory estimates how a solvable model changes when small additional effects are introduced. It describes corrections to Keplerian motion from other bodies and weak forces.
Newton's laws of motion : Newton's laws relate forces to changes in motion and define inertial motion. Together with gravity, they determine how an orbiting body's position changes over time.
Eccentricity : Eccentricity is a dimensionless measure of how much a conic differs from a circle. It determines whether the orbit is circular, elliptical, parabolic, or hyperbolic.
Kepler's laws of planetary motion : Kepler's laws describe planetary orbits as ellipses and relate orbital areas and periods to motion and size. They summarize observable regularities that Newtonian Kepler orbits explain.
Restricted three-body problem : The restricted three-body problem models a small mass moving under the gravity of two larger orbiting masses. The extra gravitational source generally prevents a single fixed-focus Kepler conic from describing the path.
Orbital elements : Orbital elements are parameters that specify the size, shape, orientation, and timing of an orbit. They provide a compact way to describe a particular Kepler orbit.
Semimajor axis : The semimajor axis is half the longest diameter of an ellipse and a scale parameter for other conics. For bound Kepler orbits, it sets orbital size and period.
Show all 21