Astrophysics (Index)About

secular

(occurring slowly over a long period of time)

The term secular, as used in astronomy, indicates changes happening very slowly, i.e., the change takes a long period of time. It is used to distinguish such a change from more rapid changes occurring to the same object/system. Sometimes it is also meant to imply a non-periodic motion, to distinguish it from an ongoing periodic motion. The term is often used in the kinematics of planets and their orbits: the Earth orbits the Sun very regularly, but over thousands or millions of years, there are changes in its orbit, termed secular. Some phrases:

The term is also used in time series analysis, with an analogous meaning.


(astronomy,dynamics,orbits,kinematics)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_variation#Astronomy
https://www.britannica.com/science/secular-perturbation
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/s/Secular+Evolution
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100451674

Referenced by pages:
celestial mechanics
gravitational instability (GI)
instability region
Jacobi integral
Kozai mechanism (ZLK)
Laplace-Lagrange secular theory
orbital resonance
parallax
perturbation theory
quenched galaxy

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