PPT Slide
Celestial Mechanics: Orbits
Circular Velocity: Velocity of an object in a circular orbit around a primary body.
Objects in circular orbits experience a Centripetal Force given by:
Circular orbits occur when the centripetal force is just balanced by the force of gravity:
Note that the circular velocity does not depend on the mass of the secondary object, but only on the mass of the primary
Note that as the radius increases, so too does the circular velocity