What is an Orbit?

An orbit is a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one. An object in an orbit is called a satellite. A satellite can be natural, like Earth or the moon. Many planets have moons that orbit them. A satellite can also be human-made, like the International Space Station.

Planets, comets, asteroids, and other objects in the solar system orbit the sun. Most of the objects orbiting the sun move along or close to an imaginary flat surface. This imaginary surface is called the ecliptic plane.