Question

Order the answers to complete this description of Mercury's orbit around the Sun. "Mercury is the _____ planet to the Sun and in accordance with Kepler's third law, it has the _____ period of revolution about the Sun and the _____ average orbital speed. As you might expect, it's best seen when its eccentric orbit takes it as _____ from the Sun as possible. The semimajor axis of Mercury's orbit is _____ kilometers, or _____ AU. However, because its orbit has the high eccentricity of _____, Mercury's actual distance from the Sun varies from _____ kilometers at perihelion to _____ kilometers at aphelion."

Answer 1

Mercury is the planet nearest to the Sun with the shortest period of revolution and the highest average orbital speed. The semi major axis of Mercury's orbit is 58 million kilometers, and its actual distance from the Sun varies due to the high eccentricity of its orbit. Kepler's law explains that Mercury moves fastest in its orbit when closest to the Sun.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun and, in accordance with Kepler's third law, it has the shortest period of revolution about the Sun (88 of our days) and the highest average orbital speed (48 kilometers per second). As you might expect, it's best seen when its eccentric orbit takes it as far from the Sun as possible.

The semimajor axis of Mercury's orbit - that is, the planet's average distance from the Sun - is 58 million kilometers, or 0.39 AU. However, because its orbit has the high eccentricity of 0.206, Mercury's actual distance from the Sun varies from 46 million kilometers at perihelion to 70 million kilometers at aphelion.

Kepler's law states that the planet moves fastest in its orbit when closest to the Sun. With Mercury's eccentric orbit, it experiences significant variations in its distance from the Sun during each mercurian year.