as Venus orbits the sun, its semi -major axis length is 0.72 AU. How long does it take Venus to orbit the sun in years?
A) 0.61 years
B) 0.37 years
C) 0.80 years
D) 0.72 years
To find out how long it takes for Venus to orbit the sun in years, we can use Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion, which states that the square of the orbital period (in years) is equal to the cube of the semi-major axis (in astronomical units).
Let's calculate it step by step:
1. Square the semi-major axis length of Venus: (0.72 AU)^2 = 0.5184 AU^2
2. Cube the result from the previous step to calculate the orbital period: (0.5184 AU^2)^(1/3) = 0.803 AU
Therefore, it takes Venus approximately 0.803 years to orbit the sun.
Considering the answer choices provided:
A) 0.61 years - Not the correct answer, as it is lower than the calculated value.
B) 0.37 years - Not the correct answer, as it is significantly lower than the calculated value.
C) 0.80 years - Not the correct answer, as it is slightly higher than the calculated value.
D) 0.72 years - Not the correct answer, as it is the same as the semi-major axis length, not the calculated value.
Therefore, the correct answer is not given among the options provided. The closest answer is option C, but it is still slightly higher than the actual orbital period of Venus.