What shape is the moon's orbit around Earth?
a. an ellipse that is elongated
b. a spiral
c. an ellipse that is almost circular
d. a circle
c. an ellipse that is almost circular
Which did Kepler notice FIRST about planetary motion that caused him to propose Kepler’s first law of orbital motion?
a. The planets have circular orbits.
b. The distance between Mars and the sun is constant.
c. The planets speed up and slow down but cover the same area.
d. Most planets have highly elliptical orbits.
c. The planets speed up and slow down but cover the same area.
For which project would knowledge of Kepler's laws prove most useful?
a. determining the structure of the solar system's planets
b. putting a communications satellite in Earth orbit
c. calculating the mass of Earth
d. measuring the distance between Earth and the moon
b. putting a communications satellite in Earth orbit
A line between a planet and the sun sweeps out two equal areas at different places as it moves along its orbit. Which factor remains constant as this happens?
a. the time the planet takes to sweep out the areas
b. the distance from the sun to the planet while it sweeps out the areas
c. the planet’s speed as it sweeps out the areas
d. the energy required to sweep out the areas
c. the planet’s speed as it sweeps out the areas
A highly eccentric orbit, such as a comet, will have an eccentricity of 0.
true
false
False. A highly eccentric orbit, such as a comet, will typically have an eccentricity greater than 0.
Where is the sun located on Earth’s elliptical orbit?
a. at the aphelium
b. at the perihelium
c. at a focus
d. at the center of the two foci