Orbital inclination facts for kids

A diagram of Keplerian orbital elements.

Orbital inclination is a term for the angle between two orbital planes. It is often used to describe the movement of celestial bodies such as stars and planets. In that context, one of the planes is the standard, or reference. Many stars are in a galaxy that has a galactic plane which is used as reference. For a planet's orbit, the inclination is the angle to the ecliptic plane. For a moon, an inclination of 0 degrees means the orbiting body orbits the planet in its equatorial plane, in the same direction as the planet rotates.

Images for kids

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  Components of the calculation of the orbital inclination from the momentum vector

See also

In Spanish: Inclinación orbital para niños