In astrodynamics, an orbiting body is a body that orbits a primary body .
The orbiting body is properly referred to as the secondary body.
It is less massive than the primary body (i.e. ).
Under standard assumptions in astrodynamics the barycenter of the two bodies is a focus of both orbits.
Pertaining to Astronomy, an Orbiting Body (sometimes seen as OB) is any object smaller than the body it orbits. These may include, but are not limited to, comets, planets, dwarf planets, moons, and asteroids.
Famous quotes containing the words orbiting and/or body:
“Our roots are in the dark; the earth is our country. Why did we look up for blessing—instead of around, and down? What hope we have lies there. Not in the sky full of orbiting spy-eyes and weaponry, but in the earth we have looked down upon. Not from above, but from below. Not in the light that blinds, but in the dark that nourishes, where human beings grow human souls.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)
“We know now that the soul is the body, and the body the soul. They tell us they are different because they want to persuade us that we can keep our souls if we let them make slaves of our bodies.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)