Central body

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In astrodynamics a central body (m_1\,) is a body that is being orbited by an orbiting body (m_2\,). Under standard assumptions in astrodynamics:

  • it is more massive than the orbiting body by several orders of magnitude (i.e. m_1<<m_2\,),
  • it is a center of an inertial frame of reference for the orbiting body,
  • it is in the focus (or one of the two) of the orbiting bodies' orbit.

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