Orbital eccentricity is a number that describes the
A) rate of rotation of the semimajor axis of the orbit because of precession.
B) orbital tilt with respect to the plane of Earth's orbit,in degrees.
C) mean diameter of the orbit.
D) shape of the orbital ellipse.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Orbital eccentricity describes the shape of the orbital ellipse, specifically how stretched out or circular it is. It is defined as the ratio of the distance between the foci of the ellipse (which are also the two points closest and farthest from the object being orbited) to the length of the major axis (the longest diameter of the ellipse).

Orbital Eccentricity Is a Number That Describes the