Highinclination
High inclination is a term used to describe orbital configurations in which the orbital plane of an object is markedly tilted relative to a reference plane, such as the ecliptic for the solar system or the equatorial plane of a planet. The orbital inclination i is measured in degrees from 0 (prograde, in the reference plane) to 180 (retrograde in the reference plane). High-inclination orbits typically refer to inclinations well above 60 degrees, though the exact threshold depends on context. In practice, this means the object’s path takes it far above and below the reference plane, often crossing it at two nodes per orbital period.
High inclination influences orbital dynamics. It changes how gravity from other bodies perturbs the orbit, alters
Observationally, the meaning of high inclination depends on context. For exoplanets, a large inclination relative to
See also orbital inclination, Kozai mechanism, transit method.