orbit

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orbitsearch for term: 1) The motion of a massive body around another massive body, governed by the force of gravity. Planets in our Solar System follow elliptical orbits around the Sun, as first noted by Johannes Kepler. An orbit is actually composed of two motions: one that points toward the other body (for example, a planet or star) and another that points tangentially to the direction of motion. In the case of a circular orbit, these two component motions are at a 90 degree angle. According to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, an orbit is actually a geodesic in space-time.

2) The act of one body revolving around another.