In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body, for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star.

Historically, the apparent motion of the planets were first understood in terms of epicycles, which are the sums of numerous circular motions. This predicted the path of the planets quite well, until Johannes Kepler was able to show that the motion of the planets were in fact elliptical motions.Fact: date=July 2008 Sir Isaac Newton was able to prove that this was equivalent to an inverse square, instantaneously propagating force he called gravitation.Fact: date=July 2008 Albert Einstein later was able to show that gravity is due to curvature of space-time, and that orbits lie upon geodesics and this is the current understanding.

History

In the geocentric model of the solar system, mechanisms such as the deferent and epicycle were supposed to explain the motion of the planets in terms of perfect spheres or rings.

The basis for the modern understanding of orbits was first formulated by Johannes Kepler whose results are summarized in his three laws of planetary motion. First, he found that the orbits of the planets in our solar system are elliptical, not circular (or epicyclic), as had previously been believed, and that the sun is not located at the center of the orbits, but rather at one focus. Second, he found that the orbital speed of each planet is not constant, as had previously been thought, but rather that the speed of the planet depends on the planet's distance from the sun. And third, Kepler found a universal relationship between the orbital properties of all the planets orbiting the sun. For each planet, the cube of the planet's distance from the sun, measured in astronomical units (AU), is equal to the square of the planet's orbital period, measured in Earth years. Jupiter, for example, is approximately 5.2 AU from the sun and its orbital period is 11.86 Earth years. So 5.2 cubed equals 11.86 squared, as predicted.

Isaac Newton demonstrated that Kepler's laws were derivable from his theory of gravitation and that, in general, the orbits of bodies subject to gravity were conic sections, if the force of gravity propagated instantaneously. Newton showed that, for a pair of bodies, the orbits' sizes are in inverse proportion to their masses, and that the bodies revolve about their common center of mass. Where one body is much more massive than the other, it is a convenient approximation to take the center of mass as coinciding with the center of the more massive body.

Albert Einstein was able to show that gravity was due to curvature of space-time and was able to remove the assumption of Newton that changes propagate instantaneously. In relativity theory orbits follow geodesic trajectories which approximate very well to the Newtonian predictions. However there are differences and these can be used to determine which theory reality agrees with. Essentially all experimental evidence agrees with relativity theory to within experimental measuremental accuracy.