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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Orbits & Gravity

Orbit

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈɔːrbɪt/nounCore term

In astronomy & space, orbit means: The curved path that an object such as a planet, moon or satellite follows around another object because of gravity. As a verb, it means to move along this path.

In Turkish: yörünge, yörüngede dolanmak

How it is used

Used as both noun and verb: a satellite is 'in orbit', a rocket 'puts a payload into orbit', and the Moon 'orbits Earth'. Engineers talk about reaching, raising and lowering an orbit.

Example sentences

  1. The satellite reached orbit about nine minutes after liftoff.

  2. Earth orbits the Sun once every 365.25 days.

Common collocations

  • in orbit
  • reach orbit
  • orbit the Sun
  • elliptical orbit
  • raise the orbit
  • gravityThe force that pulls any two objects with mass towards each other. It keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun and keeps our feet on the ground.
  • orbital periodThe time an object takes to complete one full orbit around another object. Earth's orbital period around the Sun is about 365.25 days.
  • Kepler's lawsThree rules published by Johannes Kepler in the early 1600s: planets move in ellipses, they move faster when closer to the Sun, and orbit size is linked to orbital period.
  • low Earth orbitAn orbit relatively close to Earth, usually below about 2,000 km. The space station and most Earth observation satellites fly in low Earth orbit.
  • trajectoryThe path that a rocket, spacecraft or other moving object follows through space, especially when it is not a closed orbit.

More terms: Orbits & Gravity

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