Lesson Plan #31 http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Lkepl3rd.htm . ... It is shown that at least for circular orbits, this calculation leads to Kepler's 3rd law. The velocity required for a low Earth orbit is derived, and a practical formula is obtained for the orbital period in a circular Earth orbit of any radius. ... To prove Kepler's 3rd law for circular orbits . ... Starting the lesson: . ... From Kepler's 3rd law, the orbital period T around Earth in a circular orbit at distance R is . ...
In the absence of forces, motion in a straight line and constant velocity continues indefinitely. Motion in a circle, however, requires forces to act. ... Since its velocity v equals the distance it moves in one second, one finds . ... The above result suggests that steady motion around a circle, at least for a short time span, can be viewed as the sum of a straight-line motion with fixed velocity v , plus an accelerated motion towards the center of attraction, with the above acceleration, a . ...
Nereid . Neptune II . Nereid [NEER-ee-ed] was discovered in 1949 by astronomer Gerard Kuiper. Nereid is about 340 kilometers (210 miles) in diameter and is so far from Neptune that it requires 360 days to make one orbit. Voyager's best photos of Nereid were taken from about 4.7 million kilometers (2.9 million miles). ... Its distance to Neptune ranges from about 1,353,600 kilometers (841,100 miles) to 9,623,700 kilometers (5,980,200 miles). ... 1949 . ... Orbital period (days) . ...