How to Calculate a Planet's Orbit

The foundation for determining a planet's orbit is rooted in Johannes Kepler's "Three Laws of Planetary Motion." The first law states the Sun is not at the center of the orbit but rather at one of two focus points, located off to one side. The other focus point is generally unoccupied. The second law states that a planet will speed up as it moves closer to the Sun; this change of angular motion causes an elliptical motion rather than a circular one. The third law provides the formulas with which planetary orbits can be calculated.

Instructions

    • 1

      Acquire either the radius of the orbit, measured in astronomical units (AU), or the time it takes a planet to complete one full orbit. With one of these measurements, you can calculate the other measurement.

    • 2

      Use this formula: The orbital time in years, squared, equals the orbital radius in AU, cubed.

    • 3

      Solve the formula to calculate whichever measurement you do not have--i.e., orbital time or orbital radius.

      Orbital time equals the square root of the cube of the orbital radius.

      Orbital radius equals the cube root of the square of the orbital time.

    • 4

      Enter your data into the formulas. As an example, if you had an orbital radius of 2.0 AU or an orbital time of 2.83 years:

      Orbital time = square root ( cube ( 2.0 ) )

      Orbital time = square root ( 8 )

      Orbital time = 2.83 years

      Orbital radius = cube root ( square ( 2.83 ) )

      Orbital radius = cube root (8.01)

      Orbital radius = 2.0 AU

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