Kepler's 1st law says that our Solar System's planets orbit in ellipses around the Sun where the closest distance to the Sun is called perihelion. Suppose I tell you that there is a planet with a perihelion distance of 2 AU and a semi-major axis of 1.5 AU. Does this make physical sense? Explain why or why not.

Kepler's 1st law says that our Solar System's planets orbit in ellipses around the Sun where the closest distance to the Sun is called perihelion. Suppose I tell you that there is a planet with a perihelion distance of 2 AU and a semi-major axis of 1.5 AU. Does this make physical sense? Explain why or why not.

Astronomy

1st Edition

ISBN:9781938168284

Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff

Publisher:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff

Chapter21: The Birth Of Stars And The Discovery Of Planets Outside The Solar System

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 24E: Kepler’s third law says that the orbital period (in years) is proportional to the square root of the...

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