Inclination

Inclination (i) is the angle at which the object’s orbital plane (yellow) is tilted, relative to Earth’s orbital plane (blue) around the Sun. A value of 0° means that the object's orbit is parallel with Earth’s orbit. A value of 90° means that the object's orbit is tilted at a right angle to Earth’s orbit. If an object has an orbit with inclination greater than 90°, it will be orbiting in a direction opposite to Earth’s orbital direction.

Examples of orbital ellipses with different inclinations. Credit: Rubin Observatory