9.4k views
4 votes
The orbital movements of planets in our solar system can be modeled by elliptical equations. Discuss the shapes of the path of the Moon around the Earth and the Earth around the Sun.

User Ose
by
7.2k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Planetary and lunar orbits in the solar system can be explained by Kepler's Laws, describing the shapes of orbits as ellipses with the Sun or Earth at one focus, and establishing relationships between orbital periods and distances from the Sun.

Step-by-step explanation:

The orbital movements of planets and moons in our solar system can be described by Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. Kepler's First Law states that the orbit of each planet around the Sun is an ellipse, with the Sun at one focus. This also applies to the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which is nearly circular, only varying about 2% from a perfect circle.

In contrast, the Moon's orbit around Earth also shapes an ellipse, but the path is slightly more pronounced compared to Earth's orbit around the Sun. Kepler's Second Law suggests that an imaginary line drawn from the Sun to a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times, indicating the planet's velocity changes depending on its position in the orbit. Lastly, Kepler's Third Law highlights that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of the average distance from the Sun, symbolizing a relationship between time and distance for the celestial bodies in our solar system.

User Arthur Tacca
by
7.8k points