Kepler's Laws
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School
New Mexico State University *
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Course
1357
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by PrivatePowerAlligator27
Kepler’s Laws
OBJECTIVES
To explore and understand each of Kepler’s three laws
To simulate a variety of orbits and confirm each follows Kepler’s Laws
EXPLORE THE SIMULATION
●
(Never learned about Kepler’s Laws before? You should
review this lesson
first.)
●
Launch the
Gravity Simulator
.
●
Watch
this brief instructor video
, which shows the basic functions of the simulation.
●
Experiment with the simulation yourself. Try making your own solar system.
KEPLER’S FIRST LAW
1.
Remove any existing planets by pressing the “Clear Spacetime” button.
2.
Make sure that the “Simulation Mode” is set to Kepler’s 1st Law. In this mode, you can
fling a planet in any direction you like at any speed you like.
3.
Kepler’s 1st Law states that all planets orbit in an ellipse with the sun at one focus. Use
the simulation to create a planet that orbits the sun in an ellipse. Take a screenshot of
the planet as it orbits the sun and include it in the space below. (
How do I take a
screenshot?
)
4.
What is the eccentricity of the orbit you created? Use the table below to help you
estimate the eccentricity of your own orbit.
e = 0.0
e = 0.2
e = 0.5
e = 0.7
The eccentricity of my orbit is approximately _____0.2________
5.
A circular orbit is simply an elliptical orbit with an eccentricity of 0. Use the simulation to
create a planet that orbits the sun in a perfect circle. (You can watch
this brief teacher
video for some hints
). Once you’ve created a nice circular orbit, take a screenshot of the
orbit and include it below.
KEPLER’S SECOND LAW
6.
Remove any existing planets by pressing the “Clear Spacetime” button.
7.
Change the “Simulation Mode” to Kepler’s 2nd Law. In this mode, you can set the
eccentricity to any value in the menu and then click to launch a planet into orbit.
8.
Set the eccentricity to 0.5.
9.
Launch a planet into orbit with an eccentricity of 0.5 and watch as it orbits.
10. Does the planet orbit at a constant speed?
No
11. Where does the planet move the fastest?
Closer to the center
12. Where does the planet move the slowest?
Farthest from the center
13. Remove your planet by pressing the “Clear Spacetime” button.
14. Now set the eccentricity to 0 so that we can launch planets in circular orbits.
15. Launch a planet into orbit near the sun (about two blocks away). Watch the planet orbit.
16. Does the planet orbit at a constant speed?
Yes
17. Launch four more planets into circular orbits, each one further from the sun than the
last. Watch them orbit. Do all the planets move at the same speed?
No
18. Which planet moves the fastest?
The one closets to the center
19. Which planet moves the slowest?
Farthest from the center
20. In general, comets have very elliptical orbits. Halley’s Comet, which is famous for passing
by the earth every 76 years, has an eccentricity of 0.97 - it’s orbit is shown below along
with the sun and the orbit of the earth for comparison. A comet can only be seen when
it is near both the sun and the earth - the sun melts part of the icy comet, causing the
long tail that we can observe in the night sky. When the comet is far from the sun and
earth, it is only visible to the most powerful telescopes.
21. Clear spacetime and set the eccentricity to 0.9 to simulate a comet. Launch a comet far
from the Sun and watch its orbital motion (if the comet falls into the sun, then you need
to launch it from farther away). Notice how much faster the comet moves near the sun
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