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It is believed by some that mass of an orbiting body has no effect on its orbital period, a logical conclusion which must follow from the fact that two objects of different weight fall towards the ground at the same speed for example. However, it must be understood that this is possible only because the two falling objects have masses that are negligible compared to the planet that they are falling towards. This scenario no longer applies when we are talking about a body with a significant mass relative to the mass of the body it orbits. Newton's formula for orbital period takes into account the masses of both the orbiting object and the central object being orbited:

p2 = 4pi2a3/ G(M1 + M2)

Where M1 is the mass of the orbiting body, M2 is the mass of the body being orbited, "a" is the distance between the two, of course G is the Gravitational Constant. When M1 is negligible compared to M2 (such as the mass of a radio satellite compared to the mass of the Earth), M1 can be practically ignored. However, if M1 is significant compared to M2, it cannot. Let us consider what the orbital period would be for several planets, if they could somehow be made to orbit the sun at the same distance as the Earth from the sun. A planet the size of Mars (about a 10th the size of earth) would have an orbital period of one year minus 40 seconds (a negligible difference from Earth's period to be sure). A planet the size of Jupiter (about 300 times the size of earth) would have an orbital period of about 1 year and 4 hours. If you can imagine a giant planet with a mass 4 times that of Jupiter, it would have an orbital period of about 1 year and 17 hours.

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13y ago
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4mo ago

The orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to its orbital distance from the sun. This means that planets farther away from the sun have longer orbital periods, while planets closer to the sun have shorter orbital periods. This relationship is described by Kepler's third law of planetary motion.

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14y ago

For any given central body, the larger orbits around it are associated with longer orbital periods.

Examples:

-- The outer planets take longer to orbit the sun than the inner planets do.

-- The International Space Station orbits the earth in less time than the moon does.

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13y ago

Yes and no. The period isn't directly proportional. It's proportional

to the 3/2 power of the radius (or semi-major axis).

The simple relationship is: The larger the orbit, the longer the orbital period.

The relationship in sharper focus:

[ (The orbital period)2 divided by (the radius of the orbit)3 ]

is the same number for each body in orbit around the same central body.

This fact falls out of one of Kepler's laws when they're algebraically massaged.

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11y ago

The farther a planet is from the sun, the longer it takes to revolve around

the sun in its orbit.

The ratio of (Orbital period)2/(Semi-major axis)3 is a constant for every object

in solar orbit. (That's Kepler's 3rd law of planetary motion.)

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Q: What is the relationship between orbital period and orbital distance?
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Is the square of the orbital period of a planet proportional to the cube of the average distance of the planet from the Sun?

Yes, the square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of the average distance of the planet from the Sun. This relationship is known as Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion. It describes the mathematical relationship between a planet's orbital period and its average distance from the Sun.


The relationship between the average distance of a planet from the sun and the planets orbital period is described by what?

Kepler's third law of planetary motion states that the square of a planet's orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun. This relationship allows us to predict the orbital period of a planet based on its distance from the sun, and vice versa.


Who figured out that the orbital period of a planet is related to its distance from the sun?

Johannes Kepler discovered the relationship between a planet's distance from the sun and its orbital period. He formulated Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion in the early 17th century, stating that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its semi-major axis.


An object has been located orbiting the sun at a distance from the sun of 65 AU what is the approximate orbital period of this object?

The approximate orbital period of an object at a distance of 65 AU from the sun would be around 177 years. This corresponds to Kepler's third law of planetary motion, which relates the orbital period of a planet to its distance from the sun.


What is the relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and its period of revolution?

The farther away from the sun, the longer the period of revolution takes.

Related questions

What is the relationship between the distance of a planet from the sun and its orbital period?

F is directly porportional to P


Is the square of the orbital period of a planet proportional to the cube of the average distance of the planet from the Sun?

Yes, the square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of the average distance of the planet from the Sun. This relationship is known as Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion. It describes the mathematical relationship between a planet's orbital period and its average distance from the Sun.


The relationship between the average distance of a planet from the sun and the planets orbital period is described by what?

Kepler's third law of planetary motion states that the square of a planet's orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun. This relationship allows us to predict the orbital period of a planet based on its distance from the sun, and vice versa.


What effect has distance of a planet to the sun to its orbital period?

The distance of a planet from the sun affects its orbital period. Generally, the farther a planet is from the sun, the longer its orbital period will be. This relationship is described by Kepler's third law of planetary motion, which states that the square of a planet's orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun.


What trend can you see between the time for one complete orbit and the distance from the sun?

There is a direct relationship between the time for one complete orbit (orbital period) and the distance from the sun (orbital radius). This relationship is described by Kepler's third law of planetary motion, which states that the square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun. In simple terms, planets farther from the sun take longer to complete their orbits.


What is the relationship between a planet's distance from the sun and the planet's period of revolution?

The relationship between the planet's SPEED and its distance from the Sun is given by Kepler's Third Law.From there, it is fairly easy to derive a relationship between the period of revolution, and the distance.


Who stated that the square of the period of revolution of a planet is proportional to the cube of its mean distance from the sun?

Johannes Kepler stated the relationship in his third law of planetary motion. This law, formulated in the early 17th century, describes the relationship between a planet's orbital period and its average distance from the sun.


What does the distance between the sun and a planet determine?

The distance between the sun and a planet determines its orbital period, its orbital speed, and the amount of insolation. Other factors such as composition and albedo are required to determine other variables.


What is the relationship between distance from the sun and period of revolution?

the planets


At what distance from the Sun would a planets orbital period be 3 million years?

A planet's orbital period is related to its distance from the Sun by Kepler's third law, which states that the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit. For an orbital period of 3 million years, the planet would need to be located at a distance of approximately 367 AU from the Sun.


What relationship exists between a planet's distance from the sun and its period of revolution?

The farther a planet is from the sun, the longer its period of revolution around the sun. This is due to the influence of the sun's gravitational pull, which weakens with distance and affects the speed at which a planet orbits.


Who figured out that the orbital period of a planet is related to its distance from the sun?

Johannes Kepler discovered the relationship between a planet's distance from the sun and its orbital period. He formulated Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion in the early 17th century, stating that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its semi-major axis.