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GCSE Physics · key term
The distance from an orbiting object to the centre of the body it orbits.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Specification 7.7P · Paper 1
Revise: Stable OrbitsThe orbital radius is its distance from the centre of the body it orbits. In a circular orbit this distance stays constant; in an elliptical orbit it changes as the object moves.
Specification P8.3g · Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 4 (Higher)
The distance from the centre of the body being orbited to the orbiting object.
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At any one orbital radius, the object needs a particular speed for gravity to bend its path into that circle.