Eccentricity
type: Concept
contributor: AAS Frey.Katie
broader: Orbital elements
definition: The amount by which the orbit deviates from circularity: e = c/a, where c is the distance from the center to a focus and a the semi-major axis. If e = 0, the orbit is a circle. If e < 1, the orbit is an ellipse, if e > 1 it is a hyperbola, and if e = 1 it is a parabola. The eccentricity is one of the six orbital elements that define a Keplerian orbit.
modified: 2020-11-03T20:36:22.349Z
modified: 2020-11-03T20:36:11.071Z

Orbital elements
type: Concept
narrower: Eccentricity