mean anomaly

noun

An orbital parameter of a celestial body (in an elliptic orbit); the mean motion multiplied by the time since the last passage through periapsis; the angle PCM (measured in radians) defined by P = the periapsis, C = the center of the elliptical orbit, and M = the mean planet.

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Meanings

nounmean anomaly (countable and uncountable, plural mean anomalies)

plural mean anomalies

  1. countableuncountablecelestial mechanicsastronomyAn orbital parameter of a celestial body (in an elliptic orbit); the mean motion multiplied by the time since the last passage through periapsis; the angle PCM (measured in radians) defined by P = the periapsis, C = the center of the elliptical orbit, and M = the mean planet.

Translations

Finnish keskianomalia
  • keskianomaliaastronomy: orbital parameter
Cite this entry
APA

mean anomaly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mean%20anomaly

MLA

“mean anomaly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mean%20anomaly. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mean anomaly,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mean%20anomaly.

Source: mean anomaly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.