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Any units can be used because the 3rd law is couched in proportional terms. It's common to use astronomical units, with the Earth's distance equal to 1.

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Q: In Kepler's Third Law the semi-major axis must be in what units?
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If a semimajor axis is 2.77au what is period of Ceres years?

Using Kepler's third law, the period (P) of an object in orbit can be calculated using the formula P^2 = a^3, where a is the semimajor axis in astronomical units (au). For Ceres with a semimajor axis of 2.77 au, the period of its orbit around the Sun is approximately 4.61 years.


Which orbit in Keplers law would have the longest period?

An orbit with a large semimajor axis will have the longest period according to Kepler's third law. This means that an orbit with the greatest average distance from the central body will have the longest period.


How do you find the orbital period in earth years of a periodic comet if the furtherest from sun is 31.5 astronomical units while the closest is 0.5 astronomical units?

You can find the major axis, 0.5+31.5 or 32 AU. The semimajor axis is half that, 16 AU. Then you can use Keplers 3rd law to calculate the period, which is 161.5 or 64 years.


Suppose astronomers discover a new planet orbiting your sunthe orbit has a semimajor axis of 2.52 AU what is the planets period of revolution?

The period of revolution can be calculated using Kepler's Third Law: P^2 = a^3, where P is the period in years and a is the semimajor axis in astronomical units (AU). In this case, the period of revolution of the planet would be approximately 4.00 years.


What does the semimajor axis of a planet with a period of 12 earth years measure?

That can be calculated from Kepler's 3rd law which says if the period is T years the semimajor axis must be T2/3 astronomical units. So for a period of 12 years the s/m axis is 5.421 AU or 784 million km.

Related questions

If a semimajor axis is 2.77au what is period of Ceres years?

Using Kepler's third law, the period (P) of an object in orbit can be calculated using the formula P^2 = a^3, where a is the semimajor axis in astronomical units (au). For Ceres with a semimajor axis of 2.77 au, the period of its orbit around the Sun is approximately 4.61 years.


Which orbit in Keplers law would have the longest period?

An orbit with a large semimajor axis will have the longest period according to Kepler's third law. This means that an orbit with the greatest average distance from the central body will have the longest period.


How do Keplers 3 laws of motion combined with the parts of an ellipse explain the amount of time it takes for a planet to orbit the sun based on its length?

One of the parts of an ellipse is the length of its major axis. Half that is called the semimajor axis. Kepler's 3rd law says that the time to do one orbit is proportional to the 3/2 power of the semimajor axis. IF the semimajor axis is one astronomical unit the period is one year (the Earth). For a planet with a semimajor axis of 4 AUs the period would have to be 8 years, by Kepler-3.


How do you find the orbital period in earth years of a periodic comet if the furtherest from sun is 31.5 astronomical units while the closest is 0.5 astronomical units?

You can find the major axis, 0.5+31.5 or 32 AU. The semimajor axis is half that, 16 AU. Then you can use Keplers 3rd law to calculate the period, which is 161.5 or 64 years.


What is a semimajor axis of an ellipse?

The major axis is the diameter across the widest part. The semimajor axis is half that, and for a planet it's the average of the maximum and minimum distances from the Sun .


Suppose astronomers discover a new planet orbiting your sunthe orbit has a semimajor axis of 2.52 AU what is the planets period of revolution?

The period of revolution can be calculated using Kepler's Third Law: P^2 = a^3, where P is the period in years and a is the semimajor axis in astronomical units (AU). In this case, the period of revolution of the planet would be approximately 4.00 years.


What does the semimajor axis of a planet with a period of 12 earth years measure?

That can be calculated from Kepler's 3rd law which says if the period is T years the semimajor axis must be T2/3 astronomical units. So for a period of 12 years the s/m axis is 5.421 AU or 784 million km.


What is the semimajor axis of a circle of diameter 24 cm?

The major and minor axes of a circle are the same - either is any diameter. So a semimajor axis is half the diameter which is 12 cm.


How do Kepler's 3 laws of motion combined with the parts of an ellipse explain the amount of time it takes for a planet to orbit the sun based on its length?

One of the parts of an ellipse is the length of its major axis. Half that is called the semimajor axis. Kepler's 3rd law says that the time to do one orbit is proportional to the 3/2 power of the semimajor axis. IF the semimajor axis is one astronomical unit the period is one year (the Earth). For a planet with a semimajor axis of 4 AUs the period would have to be 8 years, by Kepler-3.


The period of revolution is related to?

the period of revolution is related to the semimajor axis.... :)


Why does mercury orbit the sun first?

(I'm going to assume that when you said "first" you meant "fastest," because otherwise the question is nonsense.) Because of Kepler's Third Law. The orbital period for a body is related to the semimajor axis of its orbit. Mercury's orbit has the shortest semimajor axis of all the Solar planets, and therefore it has the shortest orbital period.


Which of Keplers laws is also known as the Harmonic Law?

Kepler's Third Law, also known as the Harmonic Law, states that the square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.