In: Physics
At the perihelion of its orbit a planet is 4.45x1012 m from a star. The maximum distance between the planet and the star is 7.35x1012 m. The mass of the star is 2.99x1030 kg. What is the period of the planet? (1 year = 3.156x107 seconds)
Perihelion (P) is the nearest point of a planet from its star. Given perihelion is at distance
Aphelion (A) is the farthest point of a planet from its star. Given aphelion is at distance
The length of major axis (A) of the planet is the distance between P and A
The length of semi-major axis is
According to Kepler's Third law, the period of a planet orbiting a star of mass M in an orbit of semi-major axis a is
Using we get