Specific Relative Angular Momentum - Elliptical orbit
Description
In celestial mechanics, the specific relative angular momentum (h) of two orbiting bodies is the vector product of the relative position and the relative velocity. Equivalently, it is the total angular momentum divided by the reduced mass. Specific relative angular momentum plays a pivotal role in the analysis of the two-body problem.
In an elliptical orbit, the specific relative angular momentum is twice the area per unit time swept out by a chord from the primary to the secondary: this area is referred to by Kepler’s second law of planetary motion.
Variables
h | specific relative angular momentum (m2/s) |
a | semi-major axis (m) |
e | e |
G | Newtonian constant of gravitation |
M | mass (kg) |
m | mass (kg) |