Scribd
Upload
13 views3 pages

Lab - Modeling Planetary Orbits - Regularees

Earth

Uploaded by

4fssgxnnkx
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
13 views3 pages

Lab - Modeling Planetary Orbits - Regularees

Earth

Uploaded by

4fssgxnnkx
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

MODELING PLANETARY ORBITS

Background: The orbit of each planet in our solar system is not a perfect circle. It is an ellipse with two foci, or
points. (Foci is plural for focus). When we measure an ellipse, we use “eccentricity” to say how “stretched” the ellipse
is. This is a range between 0 and 1. Most orbits have an eccentricity close to 0, so they are almost circular but not
quite. In this activity, you’ll investigate ellipses, calculating eccentricity (e) using the formula e=c/ a where c is the
distance from the center to one focus and a is the length of the semi-major axis.

Materials:
3 sheets of white paper 2 thumbtacks
16cm string/rubber band Cardboard
Pencil

Procedure: (as you complete a step, draw a single line through the step)
1. Cover a piece of cardboard with a sheet of paper.
2. Draw two dots 4 cm apart.
3. Press two push pins onto the dots to tack the paper to the board
4. Loop the string around both pins. Place the pencil inside the string loop.
5. Carefully pull the pencil so the string is taut but does not pull too hard on the push pins. Keeping the pencil
taut, move the pencil in a circular motion to outline an ellipse.
6. Measure the length of the semi-major axis (a) (long-ways) and measure the distance from center to one
foci (c).
7. On the paper, calculate and record the eccentricity of the ellipse (e= c/a) show your work
8. Replace the paper with a new sheet.
9. Repeat steps 2-7 but place the pins 8 cm apart.
10. Record the eccentricity on the paper (show your work).
11. Replace the paper with a new sheet.
12. Use one push pin to tack the paper to the cardboard
13. Using the same loop of string, trace an ellipse with one foci.
14. Measure the semi-major axis (distance from the pin to the edge of the ellipse)
15. On the paper, calculate and record the eccentricity. (show your work)

Data:

Foci Distance Semi Major Axis Center to 1 focus Eccentricity


distance

4 cm 5 2 0,4

8 cm 6 4 0,6

One focus 6,5 0 0

Analysis:

Which ellipse has an eccentricity closest to 0? 0,4


Which ellipse has an eccentricity closest to 1? 0,6

What happened to the ellipse when the distance It got more strech
between the foci increased?

Part B: Orbits of Planets in our Solar System

The eccentricity of each planet in our solar system has been calculated for you. Planets with an eccentricity close to
0 are slightly more circular. Planets with an eccentricity closer to 1 are more elliptical. Eccentricity (e)=c/a.
Distance from
center of ellipse to
focus in Semi-Major Axis
Astronomical Units in Astronomical
Planet (c) Units (a) Eccentricity (e)
Mercury 0.080 0.387 .21
Venus 0.005 0.723 .0069
Earth 0.017 1.000 .017
Mars 0.142 1.524 .09
Jupiter 0.250 5.203 .049
Saturn 0.534 9.540 .056
Uranus 0.901 19.180 .047
Neptune 0.271 30.060 .0089

1. Which of the planet’s orbits is the most eccentric (closer to eccentricity of 1)?Mercury

2. Which of the planet’s orbits is the least eccentric (closest to a circle’s eccentricity of zero)?Venus

3. Which two planets have the most similar eccentricity?Jupiter and Uranus

4. Which planet has an eccentricity most similar to Earth’s eccentricity? Mars

5. How could the eccentricity of a planet’s orbit affect the amount of solar radiation it receives from the sun?

The eccentricity makes the planet have different dis- tances from its host

star during different parts of the year. This makes the amount of incident

solar radiation that reach the planet change during the year which will

affect
6. Do you think a planet’s distance from the Sun will affect how long it takes for it to orbit? Why or why not?

The further away you are from the sun,the longer it will take to orbit the sun

Lesson Summary:
1. In your own words, describe Kepler’s 3 laws of planetary motion:
a. 1st Law:Each planets orbit about the sun is ellipse

b. 2nd Law:he imaginary line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps equal areas of space

during equal time intervals as the planet orbits.

c. 3rd Law:he imaginary line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps equal areas of space

during equal time intervals as the planet orbits

You might also like