Question

Imagine an exoplanet discovered orbiting a star with the same mass as the sun. The planet has the same mass as Earth, but is 20% larger in size. Its orbital period is 355 days. What can we conclude about this planet?

a) It has a thicker atmosphere than Earth.
b) It is too hot to sustain life similar to Earth life.
c) It is actually a gas giant.
d) It is geologically inactive.
e) Its orbital semimajor axis must be approximately 1 AU

Answer 1

Based on Kepler's Third Law, the exoplanet orbiting a star similar to the Sun with a 355-day orbit must have an orbital semimajor axis approximately 1 AU, similar to Earth. Other characteristics like atmosphere, temperature, and geological activity can't be deduced from the given information.

Step-by-step explanation:

The exoplanet described in the question is the same mass as Earth but larger in size, with an orbital period of 355 days around a star with the same mass as the Sun. This leads most directly to the conclusion that the orbital semimajor axis of the exoplanet must be approximately 1 AU, as it follows a similar Earth-like orbit around its star.

The conclusion is based on Kepler's Third Law, which relates the orbital period of a planet to its distance from the star (semimajor axis). None of the other options can be definitively concluded from the information given, as they would require additional data regarding atmospheric composition, surface conditions, and other geological or thermal properties that are not provided within the question's scope.