A satellite,moving in an elliptical orbit, is 420 km above Earth's Surface at its farthest point and 210km above at its closest point.Then Calculate the Eccentricity of the Orbit?

1 Answer
Apr 28, 2017

The eccentricity of the satellite's orbit is 1/3.

Explanation:

Given the aphelion distance and the perihelion distance we can calculate the semi-major axis a and the eccentricity e.

The aphelion distance is:

a+ae=420

The perihelion distance is:

aae=210

Adding the equations gives:

2a=630

Subtracting the equations gives:

2ae=210

Divide both side by 2a, substituting the value 630, and simplifying gives:

e=2102a=210630=13

Hence the eccentricity of the orbit is 1/3.