Kepler's Laws
The law that states that planets move in elliptical orbits with the sun at one focus.
Kepler's First Law
The orbital shape that has two overlapping foci/one focus is called a(n) _____________.
Circle
How many moons does Mars have?
2
(FYI: Phobos and Deimos)
The planet with the shortest year
Mercury
A day on this planet is equal to two months on Earth.
Mercury
According to Kepler's second law, the imaginary line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal ___________ during equal ____________
According to Kepler's second law, the imaginary line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal time (periods)
What is defined as the ratio of the distance
between the foci to the distance of the object from the sun?
Eccentricity
Which planet has the most moons?
Saturn
(updated numbers: Jupiter 95, Saturn 146)
The planet with the longest year.
Neptune
The atmosphere on this planet has large storms that appear white from the clouds of frozen methane.
Neptune
According to Kepler's Third Law, the orbital ________ of a planet, squared, is directly proportional to the __________ of its orbit, cubed (P2=a3)
The orbital period of a planet, squared, is directly proportional to the semi-major axes of its orbit, cubed
Or: a planet's year is directly proportional to its distance from the sun.
Do most orbits in our solar system have LOW eccentricities (closer to 0) or HIGH eccentricities (closer to 1)?
Low (they are not very elliptical)
Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are moons of what planet?
Jupiter
As you move out from the sun, the distance from planet to planet generally increases by a factor of ___________.
2 (the rule of doubles)
Pluto
At what specific point is does a planet have its GREATEST orbital velocity?
Perihelion
What trait of a planet's orbit determines its general shape?
The VELOCITY of the orbit.
Which body of the solar system has a moon that is half its size?
Pluto
These two planets have retrograde rotation, meaning that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
Venus and Uranus
Olympus Mons
Kepler's Laws were instrumental in developing which scientist's theory of universal gravitation?
Isaac newton
At perhelion, a planet is 3 AU from the sun and 8 AU from the far focus. At aphelion, the planet is 2 AU from the far focus. How far is the planet from the sun?
9 AU
(At any point in an orbit, d1+d2 is constant. So 3+8=x+2)
These two planets are the only planets without moons.
Mercury and Venus
How long, and for how often, do Neptune and Pluto switch places (Neptune becomes the farthest object from the sun)?
Pluto is closer to the sun than Neptune for 20 years every 248 years.
What is the specific value for the axial tilt of Uranus (heh)
98 degrees