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)
“Successful socialism depends on the perfectibility of man. Unless all, or nearly all, men are high-minded and clear-sighted, it is bound to be a rotten failure in any but a physical sense. Even through it is altruism, socialism means materialism. You can guarantee the things of the body to every one, but you cannot guarantee the things of the spirit to every one; you can guarantee only that the opportunity to seek them shall not be denied to any one who chooses to seek them.”
—Katharine Fullerton Gerould (1879–1944)