Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Celestial mechanics is the branch of physics that studies the motion and behavior of celestial objects, such as planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, under the influence of gravitational forces.
Gravitational forces are attractive forces between objects with mass. They cause celestial bodies to be pulled towards each other and play a crucial role in celestial mechanics.
Law of Gravitation: The law of gravitation states that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. It provides a mathematical description for gravitational forces in celestial mechanics.
Orbital Motion: Orbital motion refers to the path followed by an object (such as a planet or satellite) as it revolves around another object due to gravitational attraction. Understanding orbital motion is essential in studying celestial mechanics.