Understanding the Mean Anomaly in Orbital Mechanics: Definition and Calculation

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Welcome, my name is Phil, and in this video, I explain what the mean anomaly of an orbit is.

The mean anomaly is the angular distance between the pericenter (the closest point to the primary body) and the position of the object along its orbit, measured from the point of pericenter. It's called "mean" because it's calculated as if the object moved at a constant angular speed along its orbit, even though its actual motion is elliptical and varies in speed.

In simpler terms, it's a way to describe where an object is along its orbit in a manner that makes calculations easier, by assuming uniform motion in a circular orbit with the same period (the so-called "mean motion").