orbiting
Revolving in space
Orbiting is the present participle of orbit—to move in a curved path around something, as planets orbit the sun or satellites orbit Earth.
The word extends to figurative circulation: paparazzi orbiting the celebrity, thoughts orbiting an idea.
In dating slang, orbiting means passively monitoring an ex's social media without direct contact—staying in their digital orbit.
Orbiting celestial body
- moonNatural planetary satellite
- planetStar-orbiting spherical body
- asteroidSun-orbiting rocky mass
- cometIcy orbiting body
space station · spacecraft · trajectory · elliptical · apogee · perigee · perihelion · aphelion
Moving around a center
- hoveringSuspended without support
- fixatedObsessively attached or focused
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- peripheralExternal computer add-on
drawn to · within reach · attendant · entourage · hanger-on · surrounding
Attractive force between masses
- massQuantity of matter
- centripetal forceInward acceleration on curved paths
- freefallUnimpeded downward motion
- weightlessnessAbsence of apparent mass
microgravity · escape velocity · attraction · inertia · momentum · tidal forces · newton · barycenter
Fixed above one point
- LEOAcronym for close orbits
- GPSSatellite-based location technology
- SputnikFirst orbital spacecraft
- ISSOrbiting multinational research facility
Hubble · communication satellite · weather satellite · spy satellite · tracking · telemetry · ground station · constellation
satellite
Orbiting celestial body
comet · space station · spacecraft · trajectory · elliptical · apogee · perigee · perihelion · aphelion · revolution
circling
Moving around a center
- hoveringSuspended without support
- fixatedObsessively attached or focused
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
drawn to · peripheral · within reach · attendant · entourage · hanger-on · surrounding
gravitational pull
Attractive force between masses
- massQuantity of matter
- centripetal forceInward acceleration on curved paths
- freefallUnimpeded downward motion
weightlessness · microgravity · escape velocity · attraction · inertia · momentum · tidal forces · newton · barycenter · two-body problem
geostationary
Fixed above one point
ISS · Hubble · communication satellite · weather satellite · spy satellite · tracking · telemetry · ground station · constellation · space junk
- motionmotion, movement, velocity, speed, momentum
- space termsmoon, star, planet, rocket, satellite
- datingmatch, profile, swipe left, hookup, breakup
- motion statesmoving, stationary, in motion, at rest, still
- ongoing actionscontinuing, lasting, persisting, remaining, staying
- dating slangghosting, breadcrumbing, talking, situationship, cuffing
orbitingcrashing
Colliding with force
falling · escaping · plummeting · descending · impacting
orbit, orbits, orbited, orbital, orbiter, suborbital, orbiters