Oberth effect

noun

The concept that the most efficient place for spacecraft to change velocity is at the periapsis (the lowest point of an orbit).

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Meanings

nounOberth effect (plural Oberth effects)

plural Oberth effects

  1. space flightThe concept that the most efficient place for spacecraft to change velocity is at the periapsis (the lowest point of an orbit).

Origin

Named after the physicist Hermann Oberth, who described the concept in 1927.

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Cite this entry
APA

Oberth effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oberth%20effect

MLA

“Oberth effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oberth%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Oberth effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oberth%20effect.

Source: Oberth effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.