Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion Quiz

Imagine you're an interstellar detective like Elijah, trying to solve the mystery of planetary orbits. Which of the following best describes Kepler's First Law?

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

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

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

• All planets orbit the Sun in a circular path.

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

Kyastina and Andrew are on a cosmic adventure! According to Kepler's Second Law, when does their spaceship zoom the fastest around a star?

• When they're farther from the star.

• When they're closer to the star.

• When they're at the same distance from the star.

• When they're in a circular orbit.

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

Plu and DJ are on a cosmic adventure! They want to know how Kepler's Third Law connects the orbital period of a planet to:

• Its mass.

• The distance from the Sun.

• The speed of light.

• The gravitational force.

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

In a cosmic race around the Sun, which planet takes the longest time to complete its orbit? Join Lillian, Keevon and Makayla as they explore the solar system!

• Earth.

• Venus.

• Jupiter.

• Neptune.

Answer explanation

Neptune has the longest orbital period of all the planets in our solar system, taking about 165 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun, significantly longer than Earth, Venus, or Jupiter.

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

Imagine you're an interstellar detective like Brianna, trying to solve the mystery of planetary orbits. According to Kepler's First Law, what shape do these cosmic paths take?

• Circular.

• Elliptical.

• Parabolic.

• Hyperbolic.

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

Hey Yefri, Dominique and Alex! Can you figure out which of the following statements is true about Kepler's laws of planetary motion?

• They only apply to planets in our solar system.

• They apply to all celestial bodies that orbit a star.

• They were developed after Newton's laws of motion.

• They were based on observations made by Galileo.

Answer explanation

Kepler's laws describe the motion of all celestial bodies orbiting a star, not just planets in our solar system. They were formulated before Newton's laws and were based on Tycho Brahe's observations, not Galileo's.

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NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Willie and Aiden are on a cosmic adventure! They want to know what the distance from the Sun to a planet is called. Can you help them out?

• Semi-major axis.

• Orbital eccentricity.

• Perihelion.

• Aphelion.

Answer explanation

The semi-major axis is the average distance from the Sun to a planet in its elliptical orbit. Perihelion and aphelion refer to the closest and farthest points in the orbit, while orbital eccentricity describes the shape of the orbit.

Imagine Luis and Jose are on a spaceship exploring a planet with a highly elliptical orbit. What happens to the planet's speed as it travels around its star?

• It speeds up at perihelion and slows down at aphelion.

• It remains constant throughout the orbit.

• It slows down at perihelion and speeds up at aphelion.

• It has no effect on speed.

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NGSS.HS-PS2-4

Imagine Ivan and Nico are on a cosmic roller coaster! Which of the following scenarios best illustrates Kepler's Second Law in action?

• Mars takes 687 Earth days to complete one orbit.

• Earth moves faster in January than in July.

• Venus has a circular orbit around the Sun.

• Saturn is farther from the Sun than Earth.

Answer explanation

Kepler's Second Law states that a planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun. Earth moves faster in January, when it is closer to the Sun, than in July, when it is farther away, illustrating this law.

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

Imagine being in a cosmic classroom with Emmelie, Natalie and Mariah. Who's the legendary astronomer whose observations helped Kepler formulate his famous laws?

• Copernicus.

• Galileo.

• Tycho Brahe.

• Isaac Newton.

Answer explanation

Kepler's laws were based on the precise observations of planetary motion made by Tycho Brahe. His detailed data allowed Kepler to formulate his laws, which describe the orbits of planets around the sun.