Orbital precession

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In celestial mechanics, orbital precession may refer to:

  • Apsidal precession, where the major axis of an elliptical orbit cycles its orientation within its orbital plane.
  • Nodal precession, where non-spherical objects cause orbiting objects to change their orbits.

Not to be confused with:

  • Axial precession, where the rotation axis of a spinning object traces a conical path like a top.