Kepler's Laws

Front

What is the path a planet travels around the sun called?

Back

Orbit

Front

What is the term for the point in a planet's orbit where it is farthest from the Sun?

Back

Aphelion

Front

What shape has an eccentricity of zero?

Back

A circle

Front

What is the term for the point in a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun?

Back

Perihelion

Front

What is the term for the slow movement of the Earth's axis that changes the position of the North Star over time?

Back

Precession

Front

What is Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion?

Back

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

Front

What does Kepler's Second Law state about a planet's speed in its orbit?

Back

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

Front

What is Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion?

Back

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

Front

What is the term for the average distance from the center of an ellipse to its edge?

Back

Semi-major axis

Front

What is eccentricity in the context of orbits?

Back

A measure of how much an orbit deviates from being circular.