Definition:Kepler's Equation
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Definition
Consider a system consisting of two bodies $B_1$ and $B_2$ in elliptical orbit around each other.
Let $e$ denote the eccentricity of that orbit.
Kepler's equation is the equation that describes the relation between the mean anomaly and eccentric anomaly of $B_1$ with respect to $B_2$:
- $M = E - e \sin E$
where:
- $M$ is the mean anomaly
- $E$ is the eccentric anomaly.
Source of Name
This entry was named for Johannes Kepler.
Sources
- 1983: François Le Lionnais and Jean Brette: Les Nombres Remarquables ... (previous) ... (next): $1,19966 78640 25773 4 \ldots$
- Weisstein, Eric W. "Kepler's Equation." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/KeplersEquation.html