Ellipticity
Ellipticity is a measure of the deviation of a celestial body from a perfect sphere. In space and astronautical engineering, ellipticity is an important parameter for the design and analysis of orbits, as well as for the study of the gravitational field of a planet or moon. The ellipticity of a celestial body is defined as the ratio of the difference between its equatorial and polar radii to its equatorial radius. This parameter is also known as the flattening of the body. The value of ellipticity ranges from 0 for a perfect sphere to 1 for an infinitely flat disk. In addition to its use in orbit design, ellipticity is also used to calculate the gravitational potential of a celestial body, which is important for spacecraft trajectory planning and for understanding the dynamics of the body's atmosphere.
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