Specific mechanical energy is the mechanical energy of an object per unit of mass.
Similar to mechanical energy, the specific mechanical energy of an object in an isolated system subject only to conservative forces will remain constant.
p where In the gravitational two-body problem, the specific mechanical energy of one body
μ r
μ
μ
μ
μ
where When calculating the specific mechanical energy of a satellite in orbit around a celestial body, the mass of the satellite is assumed to be negligible:
μ =
is the mass of the celestial body.
When GM is used the center of mass is at the center of M. When bodies cannot accurately be described as point masses in the equations, other math is required and a difference may be required between center of mass and center of gravity.
In star systems of more than one planet, a planet orbit differs slightly from ideal with corrections applied for the other planets.
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