Which statement describes the area swept out by a line between a planet and the sun at equal times as the planet moves along its orbit?(1 point)

Question

Responses

It decreases as the planet moves closer to the sun.
It decreases as the planet moves closer to the sun.

It changes shape but always remains constant.
It changes shape but always remains constant.

It increases as the planet moves closer to the sun.
It increases as the planet moves closer to the sun.

It is proportional to the distance between the sun and the planet.

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

It changes shape but always remains constant.

This reflects Kepler's Second Law, which states that a line segment joining a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. This means that while the shape of the area swept out can change as the planet moves along its elliptical orbit, the amount of area swept out in equal time intervals remains constant.