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Real-Life Application:
When Will I Ever Use This?
For use with pages 632--638
Neptune and Pluto
The planets in our solar system move around the sun in an elliptical path with
the sun at the focus. Neptune and Pluto are the farthest two planets from the
sun. Neptune is the eighth planet in our solar system. Neptune orbits the sun in
60,190 earth-days or about 165 years. On average, Neptune is 2.8 billion miles
away from the sun.
Pluto is the ninth planet in our solar system. Astronomers have debated for
years if Pluto is a planet or a large comet or asteroid that got stuck in orbit
around the sun. Pluto orbits the sun in 90,800 earth-days or about 248 years. On
average, Pluto is 3.6 billion miles away from the sun.
Every 248 years Pluto's orbit crosses inside the orbit of Neptune. For about 20
years Neptune is the outer most planet in our solar system. On January 23,
1979, Pluto crossed the orbit of Neptune. Pluto became the outer most planet
again on March 15, 1999, when it crossed the orbit of Neptune again. The orbits
of the outer planets are shown on the diagram below. Notice how the orbits of
Pluto and Neptune cross.
t:
In Exercises 1-3, use the following information.
il
Neptune travels in an elliptical orbit that can be approximated by
700x 2 + 702.25 y 2 - 491,575 = 0 where x and yare measured in hundred
million miles. Pluto travels in an elliptical orbit that can be approximated by
1116x2 + 1218.01 y 2 + 19,195.2x - 1,276,759.8 = 0 where x and yare
measured in hundred million miles.
1. Graph the two equations.
2. Identify the points of intersection.
3. Identify the coordinates of the sun.
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Algebra 2
Chapter 10 Resource 8cxJk
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