Elliptic Orbit - Orbital Period

Orbital Period

Under standard assumptions the orbital period of a body traveling along an elliptic orbit can be computed as:

where:

  • is standard gravitational parameter,
  • is length of semi-major axis.

Conclusions:

  • The orbital period is equal to that for a circular orbit with the orbit radius equal to the semi-major axis ,
  • For a given semi-major axis the orbital period does not depend on the eccentricity (See also: Kepler's third law).

Read more about this topic:  Elliptic Orbit

Famous quotes containing the word period:

    “There is no man, however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived in a way the consciousness of which is so unpleasant to him in later life that he would gladly, if he could, expunge it from his memory.”
    —Marcel Proust (1871–1922)