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  2. Newton's theorem of revolving orbits - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_theorem_of...

    In Proposition 45 of his Principia, Newton applies his theorem of revolving orbits to develop a method for finding the force laws that govern the motions of planets. [24] Johannes Kepler had noted that the orbits of most planets and the Moon seemed to be ellipses, and the long axis of those ellipses can determined accurately from astronomical ...

  3. Two-body problem in general relativity - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-body_problem_in...

    Kepler published the first two laws in 1609 and the third law in 1619. They supplanted earlier models of the Solar System, such as those of Ptolemy and Copernicus. Kepler's laws apply only in the limited case of the two-body problem. Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet were the first to call them "Kepler's laws".

  4. Apsidal precession - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsidal_precession

    The ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus noted the apsidal precession of the Moon's orbit (as the revolution of the Moon's apogee with a period of approximately 8.85 years); [4] it is corrected for in the Antikythera Mechanism (circa 80 BCE) (with the supposed value of 8.88 years per full cycle, correct to within 0.34% of current measurements). [5]

  5. Kepler's laws of planetary motion - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler's_laws_of_planetary...

    In astronomy, Kepler's laws of planetary motion, published by Johannes Kepler in 1609 (except the third law, and was fully published in 1619), describe the orbits of planets around the Sun. These laws replaced circular orbits and epicycles in the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus with elliptical orbits and explained how planetary ...

  6. Orbital mechanics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics

    The specific example discussed is of a satellite orbiting a planet, but the rules of thumb could also apply to other situations, such as orbits of small bodies around a star such as the Sun. Kepler's laws of planetary motion: Orbits are elliptical, with the heavier body at one focus of the ellipse. A special case of this is a circular orbit (a ...

  7. List of orbits - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_orbits

    Orbits around the L 1 point are used by spacecraft that want a constant view of the Sun, such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Orbits around L 2 are used by missions that always want both Earth and the Sun behind them. This enables a single shield to block radiation from both Earth and the Sun, allowing passive cooling of sensitive ...

  8. Three-body problem - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-body_problem

    The circular restricted three-body problem [clarification needed] is a valid approximation of elliptical orbits found in the Solar System, [citation needed] and this can be visualized as a combination of the potentials due to the gravity of the two primary bodies along with the centrifugal effect from their rotation (Coriolis effects are ...

  9. Orbital state vectors - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_state_vectors

    Orbital position vector, orbital velocity vector, other orbital elements. In astrodynamics and celestial dynamics, the orbital state vectors (sometimes state vectors) of an orbit are Cartesian vectors of position and velocity that together with their time () uniquely determine the trajectory of the orbiting body in space.