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Encyclopedia > Inclination

Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction. The axial tilt is expressed as the angle made by the planet's axis and a line drawn through the planet's center perpendicular to the orbital plane. Inclination is a science fiction novella by William Shunn. ... âˆ , the angle symbol. ... A reference plane, in astronomy, is an arbitrary plane chosen to measure orbital elements, which are parameters needed to specify that orbit uniquely. ... The axis of rotation of a rotating body is a line such that the distance between any point on the line and any point of the body remains constant under the rotation. ... In astronomy, Axial tilt is the inclination angle of a planets rotational axis in relation to a perpendicular to its orbital plane. ...

## Contents

In particular, the inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit. It is the angular distance of the orbital plane from the plane of reference (usually the primary's equator or the ecliptic), normally stated in degrees. The elements of an orbit are the parameters needed to specify that orbit uniquely, given a model of two ideal masses obeying the Newtonian laws of motion and the inverse-square law of gravitational attraction. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... âˆ , the angle symbol. ... In celestial mechanics, the plane of reference is the plane from which orbital elements are defined. ... World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses IlhÃ©u das Rolas, in SÃ£o TomÃ© and PrÃ­ncipe. ... The plane of the ecliptic is well seen in this picture from the 1994 lunar prospecting Clementine spacecraft. ... This article describes the unit of angle. ...

The inclination of orbits of natural or artificial satellites is measured relative to the equatorial plane of the body they orbit if they do so close enough. The equatorial plane is the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the central body. A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself and which is not man-made. ... For other uses, please see Satellite (disambiguation) A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). ...

• an inclination of 0 degrees means the orbiting body orbits the planet in its equatorial plane, in the same direction as the planet rotates;
• an inclination of 90 degrees indicates a polar orbit, in which the spacecraft passes over the north and south poles of the planet; and
• an inclination of 180 degrees indicates a retrograde equatorial orbit.

For objects farther away from the central body, another reference plane is often used: the Laplace plane. As one moves away from the primary, the Laplace plane starts off in its equatorial plane and then gradually tilts away from that plane until it merges with the primary's orbital plane at great distances. Prograde motion is the motion of a planetary body in a direction similar to that of other bodies within its system, and is sometimes called direct motion, especially in astrology. ... The Laplace plane is defined as the mean plane occupied by the orbit of a satellite during a precession cycle. ...

For objects where the primary's axis of rotation is unknown or poorly known, a satellite's inclination will be given with respect to the ecliptic, or sometimes (for slow-moving objects) with respect to the plane of the sky (see the definition given for binary stars, below).

For the Moon, measuring its inclination with respect to Earth's equatorial plane leads to a rapidly varying quantity and it makes more sense to measure it with respect to the ecliptic (i.e. the plane of the orbit that Earth and Moon track together around the Sun), a fairly constant quantity. This article is about Earths moon. ...

Fig. 1: One view of inclination and other orbital parameters.

Image File history File links Orbit. ... Image File history File links Orbit. ... The elements of an orbit are the parameters needed to specify that orbit uniquely, given a model of two ideal masses obeying the Newtonian laws of motion and the inverse-square law of gravitational attraction. ...

## Other meanings

• For planets and other rotating celestial bodies, the angle of the axis of rotation with respect to the normal to plane of the orbit is sometimes also called inclination, but is better referred to as the axial tilt or obliquity.
• In particular, for the Earth, the obliquity of the ecliptic is the angle between the plane of the ecliptic and the equator.
• The inclination of objects beyond the solar system, such as a binary star, is defined as the angle between the normal to the orbital plane (i.e. the orbital axis) and the direction to the observer, since no other reference is available. Equivalently, this can be defined as the angle between the orbital plane and the plane of the sky. The latter depends on the direction in which an observer looks, so one has to be careful when comparing stars in different regions of the celestial sphere. Binary stars with inclinations close to 90 degrees (edge-on) are often eclipsing.

In astronomy, Axial tilt is the inclination angle of a planets rotational axis in relation to a perpendicular to its orbital plane. ... Axial tilt is an astronomical term regarding the inclination angle of a planets rotational axis in relation to its orbital plane. ... The plane of the ecliptic is well seen in this picture from the 1994 lunar prospecting Clementine spacecraft. ... World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses IlhÃ©u das Rolas, in SÃ£o TomÃ© and PrÃ­ncipe. ... For the band of the same name, see: Binary Star (band) Hubble image of the Sirius binary system, in which Sirius B can be clearly distinguished (lower left). ...

## Calculation

In astrodynamics, the inclination $i,$ can be computed as follows: Astrodynamics is the study of the motion of rockets, missiles, and space vehicles, as determined from Sir Isaac Newtons laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. ...

$i=arccos{h_mathrm{z}overleft|mathbf{h}right|},$

where:

• $h_mathrm{z},$ is z-component of $mathbf{h},$,
• $mathbf{h},$ is orbital momentum vector perpendicular to the orbital plane.

The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The orbital plane of an object orbiting another is the geometrical plane in which the orbit is embedded. ...

Look up inclination in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Results from FactBites:

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 Inclination - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (647 words) In particular, the inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit. an inclination of 180 degrees indicates a retrograde equatorial orbit. In particular, for the Earth, the obliquity of the ecliptic is the angle between the plane of the ecliptic and the equator.
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