| Orbital eccentricity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (536 words) |
 | The eccentricity of this conic section, the orbit's eccentricity, is an important parameter of the orbit that defines its absolute shape. |
| Eccentricity may be interpreted as a measure of how much this shape deviates from a circle. |
| Orbital mechanics require that the duration of the seasons be proportional to the area of the Earth's orbit swept between the solstices and equinoxes, so when the orbital eccentricity is extreme, the seasons that occur on the far side of the orbit (aphelion) can be substantially longer in duration. |
Feeds |
Contact