semimajor axis
Americannoun
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Geometry. one half the major axis of an ellipse.
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Astronomy. one half the major axis of the ellipse that one celestial body describes around another, as a planet around the sun or a satellite around a planet, equivalent to the mean distance between the two bodies.
Etymology
Origin of semimajor axis
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has a semimajor axis of 84 AU.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
Saturn’s orbital period is 29.46 years, and its semimajor axis is 9.54 AU.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
In a circle, the semimajor axis would be the radius.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
The size and shape of an ellipse are completely specified by its semimajor axis and its eccentricity.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
Venus’ orbital period is 0.62 year, and its semimajor axis is 0.72 AU.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
