Lab: Mercury's Orbit Analyzed
Purpose: Using the tables of dates and greatest elongations of Mercury in the morning and evening sky over several years, the student will use the provided orbit of the Earth to graph Mercury's elliptical orbit within our own, then find its perihelion, aphelion, semi-major axis, and orbital period.
1. What is Mercury's perihelion distance, in A.U.?
2. What is the aphelion distance of this orbit?
3. What is Mercury's semi-major axis?
4. What is Mercury's orbital eccentricity, according to your orbit?
5. Compare this with the book value of .21, and give your percentage error:
6. Using Kepler's third law, find Mercury's orbital period in years: ____ and days:
7. Compare with the book value of 88 days, and find your percentage error.
Attachment:- Mercury Orbit lab.rar