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In astrodynamics or celestial mechanics, an elliptic orbit or elliptical orbit is a Kepler orbit with an eccentricity of less than 1; this includes the special case of a circular orbit, with eccentricity equal to 0. In a stricter sense, it is a Kepler orbit with the eccentricity greater than 0 and less than 1 (thus excluding the circular orbit).
Elliptical may mean: having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape; of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform; characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by concision more broadly; elliptical trainer, an exercise machine
For elliptical orbits it can also be calculated from the periapsis and apoapsis since = and = (+), where a is the length of the semi-major axis. = + = / / + = + where: r a is the radius at apoapsis (also "apofocus", "aphelion", "apogee"), i.e., the farthest distance of the orbit to the center of mass of the system, which is a focus of the ellipse.
The giant elliptical galaxy ESO 325-4. An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy with an approximately ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless image. They are one of the three main classes of galaxy described by Edwin Hubble in his Hubble sequence and 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae, [1] along with spiral and lenticular galaxies.
The Earth's orbit is also elliptical, meaning it can be closer or farther to the sun, depending on where the planet is in its 365.24 day cycle. This shapes when the astronomical seasons fall. This ...
The elliptical orbits of planets were indicated by calculations of the orbit of Mars. From this, Kepler inferred that other bodies in the Solar System, including those farther away from the Sun, also have elliptical orbits. The second law establishes that when a planet is closer to the Sun, it travels faster.
An ellipse (red) obtained as the intersection of a cone with an inclined plane. Ellipse: notations Ellipses: examples with increasing eccentricity. In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant.
elliptical orbit. Also elliptic orbit. A type of Kepler orbit with an orbital eccentricity of less than 1 (often inclusive of circular orbits, which have eccentricity equal to 0), or one with negative energy. Elliptical orbits take the shape of an ellipse, and are very common in two-body astronomical systems.