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orbit

orbit

378 4.0
A curved path that a planet or satellite follows around another body
  • noun
  • /ˈɔrbɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : órbita
  • One of our satellites is falling out of orbit.
  • Earth orbit
  • satellites in orbit
  • telescope in orbit

So you can sustain orbits, however delicate they are.

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Examples

  • That takes an hour and a half to change orbit.

  • In your geosynchronous orbit above the planet.

  • We need a man in orbit, or it's all over.

  • And the third thing is that the planet needs to have cleared its orbit around its star.

  • In these systems, the pulsar and a relatively ordinary star orbit around each other.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The ship crossed the orbit of Mars well ahead of the looming red planet.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit.

  • The satellite entered a stable orbit around the Earth after several adjustments.

  • Scientists study the orbit of Mars to understand its seasonal changes.

  • The asteroid was detected in its elliptical orbit, crossing the path of other celestial bodies.

Synonyms

revolution
vsorbit
  • Specialized
45 3.5

One complete turn around a central point, like a planet or wheel

refers to the ongoing curved path rather than one complete turn
celestial orbit
vsorbit
  • Specialized
6.5

A path in space that a planet or moon follows around a bigger object such as a star

is the general term for such paths for any kind of object
electron orbit
vsorbit
  • Specialized
5.5

The path an electron takes around the center of an atom

is the broader word for similar curved paths around other objects

Compounds

geosynchronous orbit
  • Specialized
3 6.9

A path around Earth where a satellite goes once every 24 hours and stays above the same place each day

geostationary orbit
  • Specialized
1 6.1

An orbit around Earth where a satellite stays above the same point on the equator

celestial orbit
  • Specialized
6.5

A path in space that a planet or moon follows around a bigger object such as a star

cranial orbit
  • Specialized
7.7

A bony space in the skull that holds and protects the eye

electron orbit
  • Specialized
5.5

The path an electron takes around the center of an atom

9.5

The angle that shows how tilted an orbit is to Earth's path around the Sun

orbit period
  • Specialized
6.0

The time an object takes to go once around a planet or star

How Far

orbit
  • Specialized
378 4.0
lap
152 2.3

Surface Forms

orbit singular
orbits plural

Etymology

The word orbit comes from Latin orbis ('circle') and orbita ('path' or 'wheel track'); picture a path made by a wheel going round and round. So an orbit is the curved path a planet, satellite, or electron follows around another object.