Question

A planet has an orbital period of 65.02 years. What is the average distance of the planet from the sun?

A.)2.84 AU

B.) 5.14 AU

C.) 16.17 AU

D.) 39.87 AU

Answer 1

the average distance of the planet from the sun is 16.17. my best guess

Answer 2

Answer: The correct answer is Option C.

Explanation:

According to Kepler's Third Law which states that the square of the orbital period of the planets is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit of the planet.

Mathematically,

`T^2=a^3`

where, T = orbital period

a = semi-major axis

We are given orbital period which is 65.02. Now, to calculate the distance of the planet from the sun, we need to square the orbital period and ten by taking the cube-root of this, we will get the distance.

Putting values in above equation, we get:

`(65.02)^2=a^3\\\\a=\sqrt[3]{4227.6004}\\\\a=16.17`

Hence, the correct option is option C.