2024 Kepler's 3 Laws of Planetary Motion

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What is Kepler's 1st Law of Planetary Motion?

Back

Planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.

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What is Kepler's 2nd Law of Planetary Motion?

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A line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.

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What is Kepler's 3rd Law of Planetary Motion?

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The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.

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What does eccentricity measure in an orbit?

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Eccentricity measures the deviation of an orbit from being circular; it ranges from 0 (circle) to 1 (parabola).

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How does the eccentricity of Venus (0.007) compare to that of Mercury (0.206)?

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Mercury is more eccentric than Venus.

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What shape do planetary orbits take according to Kepler's laws?

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Planetary orbits are elliptical.

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What is the significance of the semi-major axis in Kepler's 3rd Law?

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The semi-major axis is the longest radius of an ellipse and is used to determine the orbital period of a planet.

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What happens to a planet's speed as it gets closer to the Sun?

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A planet moves faster in its orbit when it is closer to the Sun.

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What is the formula for Kepler's 3rd Law?

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T^2 ∝ a^3, where T is the orbital period and a is the semi-major axis.

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What does it mean for a planet to have an eccentricity close to 1?

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It indicates that the orbit is highly elongated and more like a parabola.