Does anyone know the word for something that is being orbited. Orbitee? I can't think of it. Does it exist?
I don't think this is right. The barycentre refers to the centre of mass of the two bodies, rather than describing the parent body. I've never heard of a word to describe the body being orbited. It could be called the primary or parent.
Technically the thing being orbited is the center of mass between the bodies rather than the larger of the bodies. But yeah, I see what you mean. Usually it's just called the Primary, or sometimes the Host Body.
Glancing at Wikipedia, it would seem that the barycenter is a specific point on the parent body that forms the center of mass, not the parent body as a whole.
The barycentre doesn't have to be within the parent body. The barycentre of the Pluto-Charon system lies outside Pluto, so both bodies are orbiting a point in space. They can be said to be orbiting each other.
Or, if two or more bodies are of a more similar size, it can be outside the parent body. The barycentre for the solar system is actually just outside the sun's surface due to Jupiter being as massive as it is.
So they're both orbiting the same point? That's crazy. I always thought the orbiter just circles the core of the parent.
Part of the Wikepedia definition of Primary seems to fit the bill, if you're talking about astronomy. "In the Solar System, the Sun is the primary for all objects that orbit the star. In the same way, the primary of all satellites (be they natural satellites (moons) or artificial ones) is the planet they orbit. The term primary is often used to avoid specifying whether the object near the barycenter is a planet, a star, or any other astronomical object. In this sense, word primary is always used as a noun." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_(astronomy)
I guess this is the best option. I thought for sure our language would have another word for it, but apparently not.
This is your chance! Now is the time! Create a word for it, and you shall be revered like Shakespeare.
Yeah. I imagine astronomy people know what a Primary is, but it's not a word we non-scientific people would understand that way. To us, 'primary' usually means 'first' or 'main.' It doesn't imply something that has satellites circling it.
@Friedrich Kugelschreiber, if you are referring to astronomy (i.e. a satellite orbiting a planet) then @jannert is right, 'Primary" is the way to go. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite Though, if you are talking about for instance "a fly orbiting a fat man's stomach" you may want to choose a different set of words. I think context is of the essence here.
Or the obscurity of Anglo Saxon. I broke out my Old English grammar, and I came up with ofertungol and aeftertungol. I don't even know if those are right.
It appears to be: Major Body of orbit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Angular_Parameters_of_Elliptical_Orbit.png The field around it is the Shere of influence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere_of_influence_(astrodynamics) Latin for Major Body is Maior Corpus
