Which does Kepler’s second law state about planetary motion?(1 point)
Responses
The planet travels along an elliptical orbit.
The planet travels along an elliptical orbit.
A line between the planet and the sun covers equal areas in equal times.
A line between the planet and the sun covers equal areas in equal times.
The square of the orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis.
The square of the orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis.
Planets move at the same speed at all points along their orbit.
Planets move at the same speed at all points along their orbit.
The correct answer is:
A line between the planet and the sun covers equal areas in equal times.
Kepler's second law, also known as the law of equal areas, states that a line connecting a planet to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal times. In other words, as a planet moves in its elliptical orbit around the sun, it covers equal areas in equal amounts of time. This means that when a planet is closer to the sun, it moves faster, and when it is farther away, it moves slower. So, the correct answer is "A line between the planet and the sun covers equal areas in equal times." To understand this law, you can imagine drawing imaginary lines from the planet to the sun at different points along its orbit and observe that the areas enclosed by these lines will be the same.
