Eccentricity of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The fluctuation between a nearly circular and elliptical orbit drives cyclic changes in the Earth's environment, including the global carbon cycle.

The maximum eccentricity possible is 1, which forms not a closed orbit but a parabola, meaning the object will never complete a full orbit but instead be flung off into space.) The difference ...

More objects are being launched into space than ever, and most are headed for low Earth orbit. This region of space has ...