WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Orbital Wobble

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mass 2 / mass 1
0.5
radius of mass 1
radius of mass 2
rotate
Orbiting bodies revolve around their common center of mass (green). If the center of mass is inside one of the bodies, it will seem to wobble. This wobble can sometimes be detected for distant stars, which indicates the presence of an orbiting body, such as a planet that cannot be observed directly.