Which of these statements suggests that the orbital period of Venus is shorter than that of Saturn?
A)
Saturn is much larger in size than Venus.
B)
Saturn is a gaseous planet; Venus is not.
C)
Venus is closer to the Sun than Saturn is.
D)
Saturn takes less time than Venus to complete one rotation on its axis.
Time to review Kepler's laws of planetary motion
choose C
The statement that suggests the orbital period of Venus is shorter than that of Saturn is:
C) Venus is closer to the Sun than Saturn is.
To understand why this statement indicates a shorter orbital period for Venus, we need to consider the concept of a planet's orbital period. The orbital period refers to the time it takes for a planet to complete one orbit around the Sun.
In our solar system, planets closer to the Sun generally have shorter orbital periods compared to those farther away. This is because the gravitational force exerted by the Sun decreases with distance. Planets closer to the Sun experience a stronger gravitational pull, causing them to travel faster and complete their orbits in less time.
In the given statement, it is noted that Venus is closer to the Sun than Saturn. Based on our understanding of planetary orbits, this implies that Venus is subject to a stronger gravitational force from the Sun compared to Saturn. Consequently, Venus would have a shorter orbital period, meaning it takes less time to complete one orbit around the Sun. Therefore, option C suggests that the orbital period of Venus is shorter than that of Saturn.