Name: ______________________________
Pd: _____
Ast: _____
Graphing the Planets’ Orbits
Below, you will find a data table with information about the orbits of the eight planets. Use the data table to create a
graph comparing the planets’ PERIOD OF REVOLUTION to their AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. Then, answer the
questions based on this relationship.
PLANET
AVG. DISTANCE
FROM SUN
(AU)
PERIOD OF
REVOLUTION
(Earth Years)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
0.39
0.72
1.00
1.52
5.20
9.58
19.20
30.05
0.24
0.62
1
1.9
11.9
29.4
84.0
164
Period of Revolution (Earth Years)
PERIOD OF REVOLUTION vs. AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Average Distance from Sun (AU)
1) A - What relationship do you see between a planet’s distance from the Sun and how long it takes for one
revolution?
The further a planet is from the Sun, the longer it takes to complete a revolution.
B - What reasons can you think of to explain this relationship?
This makes sense because planets that are farther from the Sun have larger orbits; they must travel much greater
distances to complete their revolution.
Below, you will find a data table with information about the orbits of the eight planets. Use the data table to create a
graph comparing the planets’ ORBITAL SPEED to their AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. Then, answer the questions
based on this relationship.
PLANET
AVG. DISTANCE
FROM SUN
(AU)
ORBITAL SPEED
(km/hr)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
0.39
0.72
1.00
1.52
5.20
9.58
19.20
30.05
173,200
125,000
107,300
85,900
46,900
35,000
24,500
19,600
Orbital Speed (km/hr)
ORBITAL SPEED vs. AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN
180000
170000
160000
150000
140000
130000
120000
110000
100000
90000
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Average Distance from Sun (AU)
2) A - What relationship do you see between a planets distance from the Sun and how fast it moves in its orbit?
The closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it moves along its orbital path.
B - What reasons can you think of to explain this relationship?
This makes sense because planets that are closer to the Sun experience a greater force due to the Sun’s gravity.
The stronger gravitational pull causes these planets to move faster in their orbit.