0
Eccentricity as it relates to an ellipse is the ratio of the major and minor axes of the ellipse.
Since it's the ratio of two distances, it winds up being dimensionless, i.e. only a number, with no units.
Example: What's the ratio of a dozen eggs to four eggs ? The ratio is 3 . . . no dimensions, just 3.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What is Mercury's eccentricity?
All the planets have elliptical orbits, but Mercury and Mars have the greatest eccentricity. As to why Mercury's orbit is the most eccentric may be related to its proximity to the Sun.
A comet orbits the sun in what kind of path?
Elliptical paths, just like planets. Typically, but not always, with greater eccentricity.
Comets with extremely elliptical orbits like comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp are?
Of course, all comets around the sun are coming under the family of planets but with large eccentricity. But we would like to differentiate them because of that large eccentricity.
Is the moon's orbit around the sun absolutely straight?
Yes, the moon's orbit is elliptical. It has some eccentricity to it (e = 0.0549). The measure of eccentricity is done to give astronomers an idea of how "out of round" a body's orbit about a center is, and it can vary between e = 0 for a perfect circle (no eccentricity), on out to e = 1 for the longest, skinniest ellipse you can immagine (infinite eccentricity).Further to that correct answer, when the eccentricity is small, as it is for the planets (except Mercury), the orbit is very nearly circular, and the eccentricity measures how far off-centre the Sun is.For example the Earth's orbit has an eccentricity of 1/60 and a radius of 150 million kilometres. The Sun is offset from the centre by 150/60 million km, or 2.5 million km.The maximum diameter of the elliptical orbit is 300 million km, while the minimum diameter is 299.96 million km, so there is virtually no 'squashing' of its circular shape.
Shape of earth and moons orbit?
All orbits are elliptical. Some, like Earth's are ALMOST circles, but every orbit has at least a little bit of eccentricity.
How are the orbits of the earth and the moon different?
The orbit of the Moon is distinctly elliptical with an average eccentricity of 0.0549. The orbit of the Earth is distinctly elliptical with an average eccentricity of 0.01671123.
How the orbits of the moon and the earth are different?
The orbit of the Moon is distinctly elliptical with an average eccentricity of 0.0549. The orbit of the Earth is distinctly elliptical with an average eccentricity of 0.01671123.
Which planets move in an elliptical orbit?
All the planets move with an elliptical orbit, but with a very low eccentricity.
Is the orbit of Mercury highly elliptical or little elliptical?
The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets
What is the approximate eccentricity of it elliptical orbit?
The eccentricity measures how far off the centre each focus is, as a fraction of the distance from the centre to the extremity of the major axis.
What is Mercury's eccentricity?
All the planets have elliptical orbits, but Mercury and Mars have the greatest eccentricity. As to why Mercury's orbit is the most eccentric may be related to its proximity to the Sun.
Does the moon revolve around earth in a circular orbit?
No, the moon's orbit is elliptical with an eccentricity of about 0.55
Do planets orbit around the sun in a perfect circle?
All planets orbit the Sun in an elliptical orbit. An elliptical orbit is defined as having an eccentricity of between 0 and 1. (0 is a circular orbit). Anything over 1 is defined as a hyperbolic orbit.Mercury has the highest eccentricity of .205630 whereas the Earth has a near circular orbit with an eccentricity of 0.0167.Triton, a moon of Neptune has lowest eccentricity with a value as close to 0 as can be measured.
What planet has the least distance between the two Foci of its elliptical orbit?
Planets don't have circular orbits; all orbits are ellipses. A circle has one center, but an ellipse has two focuses, or "foci". The further apart the foci, the greater the eccentricity, which is a measure of how far off circular the ellipse is. Venus has the lowest eccentricity, at 0.007. Neptune is next with an eccentricity of 0.011. (Earth's orbit has an eccentricity of 0.017.) So, Venus has the shortest focus-to-focus distance.
How does the shape change with increasing eccentricity?
An ellipse whose eccentricity is zero is a circle. As its eccentricity increases, it becomes more and more elliptical, i.e. its foci move farther apart and it appears more "egg-shaped".
What happens to the shape of an elliptical galaxy as you move from E0 to E7?
According to the Hubble classification system, an E0 galaxy should appear almost perfectly circular in shape, with an E7 appearing highly elliptical. In effect, as the number gets larger the eccentricity of the ellipse increases, so an E0 has no eccentricity!
A comet orbits the sun in what kind of path?
Elliptical paths, just like planets. Typically, but not always, with greater eccentricity.
