![]() ![]() Kepler's Second Law (The Law of Equal Areas)Ī line joining a planet and the Sun (radius vector) sweeps equal areas in equal times.Īs the planet revolves around the host star in an elliptical path, their speed varies a planet moves fastest when it is closest to the sun and slowest when it is furthest from the sun, yet the line joining the centres of the Sun and the planet sweeps out equal parts of an area in equal times. The first law also signifies that the planet to Sun distance is constantly changing as the planet goes around its orbit (in an elliptical orbit). ![]() For instance, the sun the sun lies the centre of our solar system and the path followed by the planets including the Earth is elliptical, in real. Planetary orbits are elliptical with the sun at a focus.Įach planet orbit about the Sun is an elliptical orbit and the host star always located at one focus of the orbital ellipse. They describe how planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun as a focus, a planet covers the same area of space in the same amount of time no matter where it is in its orbit, and a planet’s orbital period is proportional to the size of its orbit (its semi-major axis).īeing fundamentally laid on Newton’s work and laws, these laws laid the basic foundation for the motion of planetary motion and still valid law in astronomy. The usefulness of Kepler’s laws extends to the motions of natural and artificial satellites, as well as to stellar systems and extrasolar planets. Johannes Kepler in between 16 (first two laws in the year 1609 and a third law in 1619) modified the earlier concept of the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus - replacing its circular orbits and epicycles with elliptical trajectories, and explaining how planetary velocities vary, published three laws that describe how planetary bodies orbit about the Sun. ![]()
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