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Orbital Data for the Planets & Dwarf Planets

Planet
Semimajor
Axis
(AU)
Orbital
Period
(yr)
Orbital
Speed
(km/s)
Orbital
Eccentricity
(e )
Inclination
of Orbit
to Ecliptic
()
Rotation
Period
(days)
Inclination
of Equator
to Orbit
()
Mercury
0.3871
0.2408
47.9
0.206
7.00
58.65
Venus
0.7233
0.6152
35.0
0.007
3.39
-243.01*
177.3
Earth
1.000
29.8
0.017
0.00
0.997
23.4
Mars
1.5273
1.8809
24.1
0.093
1.85
1.026
25.2
Jupiter
5.2028
11.862
13.1
0.048
1.31
0.410
3.1
Saturn
9.5388
29.458
9.6
0.056
2.49
0.426
26.7
Uranus
19.1914
84.01
6.8
0.046
0.77
-0.746*
97.9
Neptune
30.0611
164.79
5.4
0.010
1.77
0.718
29.6
Dwarf Planets
Ceres
2.76596
4.599
17.882
0.07976
10.587
0.378
~3
Pluto
39.5294
248.54
4.7
0.248
17.15
-6.4*
122.5
Haumea
43.335
285.4
4.484
0.18874
28.19
0.163
Makemake
45.791
309.88
4.419
0.159
28.96
Eris
67.6681
557
3.436
0.44177
44.187
> 8 hrs ?
* Negative values of rotation period indicate that the planet rotates in the direction opposite to that in which it
orbits the Sun. This is called retrograde rotation.

The semimajor axis (the average distance to the Sun) is given in units of the Earth's average distance to the
Sun, which is called an AU. For example, Neptune is 30 times more distant from the Sun than the Earth, on
average. Orbital periods are also given in units of the Earth's orbital period, which is a year.
The eccentricity (e) is a number which measures how elliptical orbits are. If e = 0, the orbit is a circle. Most of
the planets have eccentricities close to 0, so they must have orbits which are nearly circular.
Kepler's equation for motion around an orbit

The problem is this: we know the orbital parameters of a planet's(or satellite's) motion around the Sun: period
P, semimajor axis a, eccentricity e. We also know the time T when the planet (or satellite) reaches its
perihelion passage. Where will the planet be in its orbit at some later time t?
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We can measure the position of a planet in its elliptical orbit with the angle between its radius vector and the
perihelion position. This angle is called the true anomaly, and is conventionally written as the letter v. Kepler's
first step was to draw a circle around the ellipse, and project the position of the planet on its elliptical orbit
upwards to meet the circle. The angle E measured from perihelion position, to center of circle, to projected
position of planet, is called the eccentric anomaly.
Kepler's next step was to find a mathematical relationship between this eccentric anomaly E and time. He
computed n, the average angular speed of the planet (also called the mean motion,n),then related n to the
orbital period P and obtained the following equations:
Astronomer Friedrich Bessel used "Bessel Functions" in 1817 as a means to solve Kepler's equation. Letting
M = (t - T) n (M is called as the "mean anomaly") and assuming that Jk is the k'th Bessel function of the first
kind, one can write:
Thus to find the position of any planet (or satellite) at any time t , the following steps are required:
find the time of perihelion passage T
calculate the mean motion n
solve Kepler's equation for the eccentric anomaly E
convert to the true anomaly v and radius vector r
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The Orbit in Space

The motion of a satellite (or of a planet) in its elliptical orbit is given by 3 "orbital elements" namely: the
semi-major axis a, the eccentricity e and the mean anomaly M.
The 3 remaining orbital elements are all angles giving the
position of the orbit in 3 dimensions. They are described
below:
1. Inclination i.
2. The argument of perigee (small Greek omega).
3. The longitude of the ascending node (capital omega).
To orient the orbit in 3 dimensions requires a reference plane and a reference direction. For satellite orbits,
the reference plane--the horizontal plane in the drawing--is usually the Earth's equatorial plane (sometimes it
is the plane of the ecliptic). The reference direction in either case is the direction from the center of the Earth
to the vernal equinox (which belongs to both above planes). We will call it the x direction, since that is its role
in (x,y,z) coordinates used in orbital calculations.
Two non-parallel planes always intersect along a line--the way the plane of a door intersects the plane of the
wall along the door's hinge. The orbital plane and the equatorial plane (used for reference) do so too, and their
intersection is called the line of nodes N. Let the origin O of our coordinates be the center of the Earth, which
is also the focus of the ellipse; this point belongs to both the equatorial plane and the orbital plane, and is
therefore also on their intersection line N (drawing). Then...
The inclination i is the opening angle of the "hinge" along N. It is best defined by erecting at O lines
perpendicular to each plane and measuring the angle between them (drawing).
The angle is measured in the equatorial plane between N and the reference direction x. One can imagine
rotating the "hinge" N around point O, without changing the inclination: the orbital plane then covers all
possible values of .
But what is this "ascending node" bit? The above definition contains some ambiguity: N defines two lines
coming out of O, in opposite directions. From which of them should be measured? To resolve this we note
that the plane of the equator divides space into two parts, one north of it and one south of it. Specifying "the
ascending node" selects the branch on which the satellite crosses as it enters the northern half-space, rather
than the one crossed when leaving it.
Finally, is the angle measured in the orbital plane between N and the direction from O to the perigee point
P. If perigee lies on the "hinge", on the side of positive x, then = 0; rotating the orbit by 90o until the line
OP is perpendicular to N gives = 90o, rotating it further until it reaches the negative side of the x-direction
gives = 180o.
Suppose you have the orbital elements of some satellite, e.g. the space shuttle (you can often get them off the
world-wide web). The first three (a, e, M), with M given at some particular time, enable you to calculate
where the satellite will be at any time in its orbit. With (i, , ) you can then find where it would be in the
sky
Please look at the site : http://www.math.ksu.edu/~dbski/writings/planetary.pdf
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Orbital Data for the Planets & Dwarf Planets

orbits the Sun. This is called retrograde rotation.

Kepler's equation for motion around an orbit

The Orbit in Space

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