Interactive Mathematics • Orbital Mechanics • Planetary Science
Plot any function of x. Use +, −, *, ^, sin, cos, tan, sqrt, log, abs, pi, e …
How Earth’s spin affects a rocket’s path — as seen from the ground vs. from space.
Earth’s surface at the equator moves ~1,670 km/h eastward. When a rocket launches, it carries that velocity with it.
Ground frame (red path): the rocket looks like it goes straight up, but Coriolis forces push it sideways as altitude increases.
Space / inertial frame (green path): from fixed stars, the rocket follows a curved arc — it drifts east because of the tangential velocity it inherited from Earth’s spin.
This is why launch sites prefer the equator and rockets always launch eastward — free speed from the planet’s rotation!
Equatorial surface speed of every planet. Jupiter’s day is only 10 hours — its equator moves at 45,300 km/h.
Plot a function of x and y. The result is z. Rotate with mouse, scroll to zoom.