Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the theory and application of the laws of dynamics and gravitation to the motions of bodies in space. The solution of problems involving these motions is the primary goal of celestial mechanics.

The heliocentric theory of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, the telescopic observations of Italian astronomer Galileo (Galileo Galilei), the positional observations of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, and the formulation of the laws of planetary motion by German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler provided the foundation for English physicist Sir Isaac Newtonüs advancement of the laws of gravitation in his important and influential 1687 work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). In Principia, Newton provided the first comprehensive and mathematically consistent explanation of celestial mechanics.

Included in Principia were Newtonüs three laws of motion and a law of universal gravitation. Together, these...