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Eccentricity of Elliptical Orbit is a measure of how stretched or elongated the orbit's shape is. It quantifies the deviation of the orbit from a perfect circle, where 0 represents a circular orbit and values approaching 1 indicate highly elliptical orbits.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The eccentricity is calculated by dividing the distance between the two foci by twice the semi-major axis of the elliptical orbit.
Details: Eccentricity is a fundamental parameter in orbital mechanics that determines the shape of an orbit. It affects orbital period, velocity variations, and the stability of celestial bodies in their orbits around larger masses.
Tips: Enter the distance between two foci and the semi-major axis in meters. Both values must be positive numbers greater than zero for accurate calculation.
Q1: What is the range of possible eccentricity values?
A: Eccentricity values range from 0 (perfect circle) to values less than 1 (ellipse). A value of 1 represents a parabolic orbit, and greater than 1 represents a hyperbolic orbit.
Q2: How does eccentricity affect orbital characteristics?
A: Higher eccentricity means more elongated orbits with greater velocity variations between perihelion (closest approach) and aphelion (farthest point).
Q3: What are typical eccentricity values for planets?
A: Most planets in our solar system have low eccentricities (0.01-0.09), while comets and some asteroids can have much higher eccentricities.
Q4: Can eccentricity be greater than 1?
A: Yes, eccentricity greater than 1 indicates a hyperbolic orbit, which is unbound and open-ended.
Q5: How is eccentricity related to orbital energy?
A: Eccentricity is related to the specific orbital energy - higher eccentricity generally corresponds to higher orbital energy for the same semi-major axis.