inclination of an orbit
- noun
- Specialized
:
inclinación de una órbita
- The inclination of an orbit determines how tilted a planet's path is relative to the ecliptic.
Examples
-
Scientists measured the inclination of an orbit to predict when the satellite would cross the equator.
-
Different moons have different inclinations of their orbits around their planets.
-
The inclination of an orbit determines how a planet travels around the sun.
-
Can you explain the inclination of an orbit in simple terms?
-
Scientists measured the inclination of an orbit to predict the satellite's crossing of the equator.
-
The inclination of an orbit affects how a planet's path relates to the ecliptic plane.
-
Different moons exhibit various inclinations of their orbits around their respective planets.
Synonyms
401
2.5
The space between two lines or surfaces that meet at a point
5
6.3
The angle or tilt of something compared with a flat line
The tilt of a line measured counterclockwise from the positive x-axis
How Tilted
- Specialized
- Specialized
5
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
inclination + of + an + orbit
The phrase's meaning — the tilt/angle of an orbit — is directly and compositionally derived from 'inclination' (degree of tilt) + 'orbit' (the path of a body). The linking words ('of an') do not add idiomatic meaning, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the MWE's sense.
Etymology
Inclination of an orbit uses two simple words: inclination meaning a 'tilt' and orbit meaning the path of a planet, moon, or satellite. Imagine the Earth's path around the Sun as a flat sheet and another orbit as a ring that leans above it; the small angle between them is the 'inclination', so the term tells how tilted the orbit is.