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The Laws of Planetary Motion: Kepler

Johannes Kepler determined the three laws of planetary motion based on Tycho Brahe's precise astronomical observations: (1) planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus, (2) planets sweep out equal areas in equal times, and (3) the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun.

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Muhammad Tawqeer
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128 views25 pages

The Laws of Planetary Motion: Kepler

Johannes Kepler determined the three laws of planetary motion based on Tycho Brahe's precise astronomical observations: (1) planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus, (2) planets sweep out equal areas in equal times, and (3) the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Tawqeer
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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KEPLER:

the laws of planetary motion

KEPLER’S KEPLER’S KEPLER’S INTERESTINGAP


FIRST SECOND THIRD PLETS
LAW LAW LAW
Johannes Kepler

 Born on December 27, 1571


in Germany
 Studied the planetary motion of Mars
 Used observational data of Brahe
History of Kepler
 Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer
and mathematician of the late sixteenth and
early seventeenth centuries.
 His work was largely based on the work of his
mentor, Tycho Brahe.
 Kepler was able to use Bahe's precise
measurements (made before telescopes) to
determine, mostly by trial and error, three
laws that described the motion of the five
planets then known.
Three laws of Planetary Motion:

 Law of orbit

 Law of areas

 Law of Time period


Tyco Brahe

 Danish astronomer who hired


Kepler as his assistant
 Came up with accurate observations of Mars
with his naked eyes
 Assigned Kepler to develop a theory of
planetary motion using his observations

HOME
Instruments

 Tyco Brahe
 only compass and sextant
 No telescope – naked eye

HOME
HOME

Kepler’s FIRST Law

 “ The orbit of each planet is an ellipse and


the Sun is at one focus”
 Kepler proved Copernicus wrong – planets
didn’t move in circles
Ellipse

 Elongated & flattened circle


 Characterized by eccentricity and Eccentricity
– degree of flatness
 Major axis – longer axis
 length of major axis is used for Size of the orbit

KEPLER’S
FIRST
LAW
HOME

Focus

 Focus – one of two special points on the


major axis of an ellipse
 Foci – plural of focus
 A+B is always
the same on
any point on
the ellipse
KEPLER’S
FIRST
LAW
HOME

Eccentricity
 Eccentricity is the degree of flatness “Shape"
 Eccentricity (e) = 0 is circle, no perigee no
apogee.
 Earth e = 0.017
 e = c/a
 c = center to focus
 a = half of major axis/

semi-major axis
HOME
Aphelion (perigee) &
Perihelion(apogee)
 Aphelion is the point on the orbit farthest
from the sun
 Perihelion is the point on the orbit closest to
the sun

KEPLER’S
FIRST
LAW
HOME

Kepler’s SECOND Law

 “ The line joining the planet to the sun


sweeps out equal areas in equal
intervals of time”
HOME

In Another Words…

 The area from one time to another time is


equal to another area with the same time
interval
 All of the areas (in yellow and peach) have
equal intervals
of time

KEPLER’S
SECOND
LAW
HOME

Acceleration of Planets
 Planet moves faster when closer to the sun
 Force acting on the planet increases as distance
decreases and planet accelerates in its orbit
 Planet moves slower
when farther
from the sun

KEPLER’S
SECOND
LAW
HOME

Kepler’s THIRD Law

 “ The square of the period of any planet is


proportional to the cube of the semi-major
of its axis,(Average orbital radius)”
 Also referred to as the Harmonic Law
HOME

T²  a³

 T = orbital period in years


 a = semi-major axis in astronomical unit
(AU)
 Can calculate how long it takes (period) for
planets to orbit if semi-major axis is known

KEPLER’S
THIRD
LAW
HOME

Astronomical Unit

 Astronomical unit – AU
 AU is the mean distance between Earth and
the Sun
 1 AU ≈ 1.5 x 108 km ≈ 9.3 x 107 miles

KEPLER’S
THIRD
LAW
HOME

Examples of 3rd Law

 Calculating the orbital period of 1AU


 T² = a³
 T² = (1)³ = 1

 T = 1 year

 Calculating the orbital period of 4AU


 T² = a³
 T² = (4)³ = 64

 T = 8 years KEPLER’S
THIRD
LAW
 (Tj/Te)2=( aj'/ae’)3
 Average orbital radius
 Earth=1.5.10*8m
 Jupiter=7.8.10*8m
 Orbital period
 Earth =1 year
 Jupiter=??
 (Tj/1.0 year)2=(7.8.10*8m/1.5.10*8m)3
 T jupiter=11.9 years
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Orbital Data

 The orbital data of various planets


e c c e n t ric it y
P lan e t T (yr) a (A U ) T2 a3
(e )
M er c u r y 0 .20 6 0 .24 0 .39 0 .06 0.06
Venu s 0 .00 7 0 .62 0 .72 0 .39 0.37
E art h 0 .017 1 1 1 1
M ar s 0 .093 1.88 1.52 3.53 3.51
J u pit er 0 .048 11.9 5.2 142 141
Sat u r n 0 .0 56 29.5 9.54 870 868
HOME

Kepler’s Three Laws

 Orbit of each planet is an ellipse & Sun


is at one focus
 Equal areas in equal intervals of time
 T² = a³
HOME

Contributions

 Kepler’s second law


(equal area) helped
Newton come up with his
Law of Universal
Gravitation
 Motions of satellite and
spacecraft in orbit near
planets

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