Cosmic Cycles: Orbital Period Explained Quiz

If an object follows a repeating path around a center, and if we measure the time it takes to go from the start point back to that same point, then that duration is defined as the orbital period.

If a planet is further from the Sun, it must travel a much larger total distance to complete one loop; if it also moves slower because gravity is weaker far away, then the time (the year) must be longer.

If Neptune is about 30 times further from the Sun than Earth, and if the path it takes is much longer, then it will take significantly more time (about 165 Earth years) to finish one revolution.

If the Earth takes exactly one orbital period to return to its starting position relative to the Sun, and if that time is measured in 24-hour days, then the result is roughly 365.25 days.

If the orbital period depends on the strength of gravity and the size of the path, and if gravity is determined by the star's mass and the path size is determined by distance, then these two factors decide the period.

If the planet closest to the star has the smallest orbital path to travel and the highest orbital speed, then it will complete its journey in the shortest amount of time compared to all other planets.

If a "day" is the time it takes a planet to spin once on its axis (rotation), and if an "orbital period" is the time to go around the Sun (revolution), then they are two completely different motions.

If gravity is stronger, a planet requires more orbital speed to avoid being pulled into the star; if it travels at a higher speed over its path, then the time taken to complete the orbit (the year) will decrease.

If Jupiter is located about 5 times further from the Sun than Earth, and if orbital time increases as distance increases, then the result of the calculation is approximately 12 Earth years per orbit.

If every planet is located at a different distance from the star, then every planet has a different path length and speed, which means the time for one orbit is unique to each world.

If we need a standard unit to compare different worlds across the galaxy, and if we live on Earth, then we use Earth's 24-hour day or 365-day year as our baseline measurement.

If the pull of gravity is stronger near the Sun, then a planet must have more "sideways" speed to keep from falling in; if it moves faster, it will finish its orbital loop in a shorter amount of time.

If the relationship is P^2 = a^3, then as the distance (a) increases, the period (P) increases even more rapidly; this proves that further planets always have much longer years.

If seasons occur because a planet travels around the Sun while tilted, and if the total trip takes one orbital period, then the time spent in each season is roughly one-fourth of that total period.

If an object is very close to Earth's gravity, it must move extremely fast (about 17,500 mph) to stay in orbit; if it moves that fast around the Earth, it completes one full circle every 90 minutes.

If Venus is at 0.7 AU and Earth is at 1.0 AU, and if being closer to the Sun means a smaller path and higher speed, then Venus will complete its orbit faster than Earth does.

If Mars is further away than Earth, it must move slower and travel a longer distance; if we apply Kepler's laws to its 1.5 AU distance, the resulting time to orbit is about 687 Earth days.

If a planet is in a stable orbit, it will cross in front of its star at regular intervals; if we measure the time from one dip to the next, then we have identified the orbital period.

If the gravitational balance between the star's mass and the planet's speed stays the same, and if no outside force changes the orbit, then the time taken to complete the loop will not change.

If a star is more massive, it has stronger gravity; if gravity is stronger, the planet must move faster to stay in orbit; if it moves faster over the same distance, the period becomes shorter.