Planetary Orbit
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Understanding Planetary Orbits: Shapes, Ellipses, and Kepler's Laws, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Law
An introduction to planetary orbits, explaining how planets appear to orbit the sun in circles but actually move in ellipses. It covers the terms' revolve' and 'rotate,' introduces the concept of a satellite, and discusses the properties of ellipses, including eccentricity. Kepler's three laws of planetary motion are also presented.
Typology: Study Guides, Projects, Research
2021/2022
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Planetary Orbit
Planetary Orbits
- What shape do planets APPEAR to orbit the sun?
- Planets APPEAR to orbit in a circle.
- What shape do the planets orbit the sun??? Each planet Orbits the Sun in an ellipse (oval), with the Sun at one foci.
Satellite
- What is a Satellite?
A satellite is an object that orbits another object.
Ex. Radio satellite, moons, planets
What is a Primary?
A primary is an object being orbited.
Ex. Earth, the sun
Ellipse
Parts of An Ellipse
- Parts of an Ellipse?
- A circle has 1 Center
point
- An ellipse has 2 foci
(2 center points)
Major Axis
- Major Axis – line running between the widest points of the ellipse. Drawn through both Foci.
Eccentricity
- What is Eccentricity?
- Eccentricity is how stretched out or flattened an ellipse is (oval like)
How to Calculate Eccentricity
Formula for Eccentricity:
E = Distance Between Foci
Length of Major Axis
5 in 1
5 in
There is no Unit.
Eccentricity is typically given to the thousandth .???
Eccentricity
- What happens when the foci get closer together?
- The closer the foci are together the less eccentric (less oval like) the ellipse will be.
- A circle has both foci in the exact same spot (they came together as 1 point)
- What happens when you stretch the foci apart?
- The more you stretch the foci, the more eccentric (like a line)
Studied By Who
- Who studied Ellipses?
- Planetary Ellipses were studied by Johannes Kepler to determine planetary motion
- This is Kepler’s first Law
- What is a Law in Science?
- A law in science is something that can not be broken (Law of Gravity)
What Kepler noticed
2) A satellite covers equal
area in equal time.
What Kepler noticed.
- Knowing average distance of a satellite we can figure out how long it takes to orbit.
- Knowing orbital time can figure out satellite distance.