Planetary
Eccentricities Lab
Write the following in your lab notebook using complete, quality, correct sentences. (100 pts)
Purpose: How do the orbits and eccentricities of the planets in our Solar System compare to each other?
Materials: None Needed
Data: Copy the following data tables into your notebook. Complete the following data tables. Use your foldable solar system to find the symbols for the planets.
Data Table 1: Scaled Planet Ellipse InformationPlanet / Symbol / Color of Orbit / Focal Distance
(mm) / Loop Circumference (mm)
Mercury / 2 / 60
Venus / 6 / 84
Earth / 5 / 110
Mars / 8 / 140
Jupiter / 8 / 216
Halley’s Comet / none / 145 / 340
Data Table 2: Planet Orbit Eccentricities
Planet / Major Axis
(mm) / Focal Distance
(mm) / Eccentricity*
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Halley’s Comet
*Eccentricity = (focal distance) / (major axis); calculate to the 0.01 place
Conclusion: just answer the following questions.
Use the figure below to answer questions #1-4.
Figure 1: Ellipses
A B C
1. List the ellipses in order from the most circular to the most stretched out.
2. Calculate the eccentricity of each ellipse.
3. List the ellipses in order of increasing eccentricity.
4. How does the order of the ellipses from the most circular to most stretched out compare to their eccentricities?
Use your planetary ellipse papers for questions #5-8.
5. Which of your ellipses is closest to being a circle? A line?
6. What is Earth’s eccentricity? Earth’s ellipse looks like a circle. How do you know that it isn’t?
7. Explain how Venus can have a bigger focal distance than Earth, but Earth is farther away from the Sun.
8. What would you predict the focal distance & loop circumference would be on this scale for Saturn?