Question

What’s true about the elliptical path that the planets follow around the sun?

Answer 1

Answer:

C. A line can be drawn from the planet to the sun that sweeps out equal areas  in equal time

Explanation:

From Kepler's law of planetary motion we know that planets in the solar system revolve in elliptical orbits around the sun. The line which joins the planet and the sun sweeps equal areas in equal interval. As a consequence of this, the planets which are closer to sun have smaller period of revolution than the planets which are farther away.

Answer 2

Answer: A line can be drawn from the planet to the Sun that sweeps out equal areas in equal times

Kepler’s Laws are three mathematic laws to describe the movement of the planets around the Sun, but it can be generalized for the movement of any body orbiting a bigger one, for example, The Moon orbiting the Earth.

Now, according to the Second Kepler’s Law of Planetary motion:

In equal times, the areas swept by the planet in its orbit around the Sun are equal.

For this to be possible, the speed of the planet must vary. Hence, the planet will move rapidly near the Sun (perihelion) and move slowly when it is away from the Sun (aphelion).

Therefore the correct option is C.