What is the motion of planet and satellite?

What is the motion of planet and satellite?

Planets and satellites move in an elliptical path around the body that they orbit. Planetary motion, as well as satellite motion, is governed by Kepler’s laws. Earth satellites move in a circular path when they travel at 8 kilometers per second and follow an oval path if they move faster.

What do you know about satellites motion?

A satellite is often thought of as being a projectile which is orbiting the Earth. Second, a satellite is acted upon by the force of gravity and this force does accelerate it towards the Earth. In the absence of gravity a satellite would move in a straight line path tangent to the Earth.

What do planetary satellites do?

Naturally-formed bodies in orbit around planets are referred to here as “planetary satellites”, and are often called “moons.” Planetary satellites (as well as the primary planet) orbit the planetary system barycenter, the combined center of mass of the planet and all of the moons in that planetary system.

How do satellites move around the earth?

A satellite orbits Earth when its speed is balanced by the pull of Earth’s gravity. Without this balance, the satellite would fly in a straight line off into space or fall back to Earth. It moves in the same direction and at the same rate Earth is spinning.

Why is it important to study planetary motion?

Kepler’s laws of planetary motion mark an important turning point in the transition from geocentrism to heliocentrism. They provide the first quantitative connection between the planets, including earth. But even more they mark a time when the important questions of the times were changing.

Is planetary motion a oscillation?

The answer, of course, is that the planet oscillates radially as it goes around the Sun. Radial oscillation combines with circu- lar motion to give a plausible planetary orbit.

How does gravity affect planetary motion?

The Sun’s gravity pulls the planets in orbit around it, and some planets pull moons in orbit around them. The closer the planet is to the Sun, the greater the pull of the Sun’s gravity, and the faster the planet orbits. This model fails in that objects in stable orbits do not fall into the Sun.

What are planetary satellites?

A planetary satellite is any one of the celestial bodies in orbit around a planet, which is known as the primary body. There undoubtedly exist many more undiscovered small satellites in the outer solar system. The relative sizes of the main satellites are illustrated in Figure 34.1.

How are planetary satellites formed?

The formation of planetary satellites is thought to be a natural by-product of terrestrial and giant planet formation. The giant planets in our solar system harbor dozens of planet-size rocky and icy moons, some of which have habitats that may be dissimilar to Earth but could still be suitable for life.

Do all satellites move?

While some satellites whiz around the world in 90 minutes, others don’t seem to move at all. Weather and TV satellites seem to hover above the equator. These satellites are in geostationary orbits.

What causes a satellite to move in the same direction?

This centripetal force is supplied by gravity – the force that universally acts at a distance between any two objects that have mass. Were it not for this force, the satellite in motion would continue in motion at the same speed and in the same direction. It would follow its inertial, straight-line path.

How are satellites governed by Newton’s laws of motion?

In summary, satellites are projectiles that orbit around a central massive body instead of falling into it. Being projectiles, they are acted upon by the force of gravity – a universal force that acts over even large distances between any two masses. The motion of satellites, like any projectile, is governed by Newton’s laws of motion.

How does the elliptical orbit of a satellite work?

Elliptical Orbits of Satellites. Once more, this net force is supplied by the force of gravitational attraction between the central body and the orbiting satellite. In the case of elliptical paths, there is a component of force in the same direction as (or opposite direction as) the motion of the object.

Which is an example of a circular motion satellite?

Circular Motion Principles for Satellites. A satellite is any object that is orbiting the earth, sun or other massive body. Satellites can be categorized as natural satellites or man-made satellites. The moon, the planets and comets are examples of natural satellites.