Question
Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed a planet about 16 AU from a star whose mass is the same as our Sun’s mass. How long does it take the planet to orbit the star?
Answers
drwls
Since the star's mass equals that of the sun, you can use the same form of Kepler's third law that applies to our solar system.
P^2 = a^3
In the above formula, P is the period in years and a is the distance from the star in a.u.
See http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys440/lectures/kepler3/kepler3.html
for more about the law
P^2 = (16)^3 = 4096
P = 64 years
P^2 = a^3
In the above formula, P is the period in years and a is the distance from the star in a.u.
See http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys440/lectures/kepler3/kepler3.html
for more about the law
P^2 = (16)^3 = 4096
P = 64 years