Kepler’s Laws and Planetary Motion
by Anonymous · ⭐ 1 · 🍴 0
Push eccentricity from 0 to 0.8 and a circle stretches into a long, narrow ellipse. Speed up near perihelion, slow down near aphelion — yet the swept area stays exactly the same every time. Watch all eight planets, Mercury to Neptune, line up on one T²∝a³ line.
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About this app
Kepler’s Laws and Planetary Motion is an interactive science app for exploring how planets orbit the Sun. Adjust eccentricity from 0 to 0.8 to compare circular and elongated elliptical orbits, move a planet around its orbit to observe equal areas swept in equal times, and switch among Mercury through Neptune to examine the relationship T² = a³ using orbital period and semi-major axis data.
Use cases
- High school Earth science students studying Kepler’s laws
- Teachers demonstrating elliptical orbits and orbital speed
- Learners comparing perihelion and aphelion motion
- Students investigating planetary period and distance data
Features
- Interactive eccentricity control from 0 to 0.8
- Visualization of the Sun and empty focus in an elliptical orbit
- Orbit-position control showing perihelion, aphelion, and swept area
- Planet selector covering Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
- Graph-based check of the T² = a³ relationship
- Step-by-step missions with reset and next controls