Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The equatorial plane of the orbited body for satellites orbiting with small semi-major axes; The local Laplace plane for satellites orbiting with intermediate-to-large semi-major axes; The plane tangent to celestial sphere for extrasolar objects; On the plane of reference, a zero-point must be defined from which the angles of longitude are
Ĵ is perpendicular to Î and with Î defines the reference plane. K̂ is perpendicular to the reference plane. Orbital elements of bodies (planets, comets, asteroids, ...) in the Solar System usually the ecliptic as that plane. x̂, ŷ are in the orbital plane and with x̂ in the direction to the pericenter .
Denoted with the symbol Ω, it is the angle from a specified reference direction, called the origin of longitude, to the direction of the ascending node (☊), as measured in a specified reference plane. [1] The ascending node is the point where the orbit of the object passes through the plane of reference, as seen in the adjacent image.
An orbital plane can also be seen in relative to conic sections, in which the orbital path is defined as the intersection between a plane and a cone. Parabolic (1) and hyperbolic (3) orbits are escape orbits, whereas elliptical and circular orbits (2) are captive. The orbital plane of a revolving body is the geometric plane in which its orbit lies.
The perifocal coordinate system (with unit vectors p, q, w), against the reference coordinate system (with unit vectors I, J, K) The perifocal coordinate (PQW) system is a frame of reference for an orbit. The frame is centered at the focus of the orbit, i.e. the celestial body about which the orbit is centered.
The X/Y plane coincides with Earth's equatorial plane, with the +X axis pointing toward the vernal equinox and the Y axis completing a right-handed set. The ECI reference frame is not truly inertial because of the slow, 26,000 year precession of Earth's axis , so the reference frames defined by Earth's orientation at a standard astronomical ...
Since the line of ascending node is the line of intersection between the orbital plane and the reference plane, it is perpendicular to both the normal vectors of the reference plane and the orbital plane (or ). Therefore, the ascending node vector can be defined by the cross product of these two vectors.
Orbital mechanics or astrodynamics is the application of ballistics and celestial mechanics to the practical problems concerning the motion of rockets, satellites, and other spacecraft. The motion of these objects is usually calculated from Newton's laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation .