Question

A spacecraft has been placed in an orbit at a distance of 5.8 au from its sun. what is the orbital period of this spacecraft?

Answer 1

The orbital period of the spacecraft placed 5.8 au from its sun is approximately 9.8 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The orbital period of a spacecraft can be calculated using Kepler's third law, which states that the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the average distance from the Sun. In this case, the spacecraft is placed at a distance of 5.8 au from its sun.

To find the orbital period, we can use the formula T^2 = a^3, where T is the orbital period in years and a is the average distance from the Sun in astronomical units.

Plugging in the values, we get T^2 = 5.8^3. Taking the square root of both sides, we find that the orbital period of the spacecraft is approximately 9.8 years.