Does a planet in orbit around the sun travel at a constant speed?

Answer 1

Velocity is a indication of speed and direction, so the fact they travel around it means that the direction is continually changing and, therefore velocity is continually changing. Kepler was the astronomer who discovered the laws of motion for the planets. Newton, a century later, derived the laws from his laws of gravity and motion. The first law of planetary motion states that planets orbit the sun in an elipse. So the speed is continually changing.

Answer 2

no they move at different speeds because they are each spinning differently and affected by gravity differently. The planets closest to the sun move faster. Below is the list of specific speeds:

km/h

Mercury 172,404

Venus 126,108

Earth 107,244

Mars 86,868

Jupiter 47,016

Saturn 34,705

Uranus 24,516

Neptune 19,548

Pluto 17,064

Answer 3

No, every planet moves at a different speed around the sun. The speed at which a planet orbits the sun is related to the distance of that planet from the sun; closer planets orbit faster. Mercury is the closest and the fastest.

Answer 4

No, the planets of our solar system do not orbit the sun as the same speed - neither tangental speed nor angular rate.

Indeed, as the planets have elliptical orbits their tangental speed varies considerably over the period of a single orbit but this range of speeds remains largely constant year on year.

Answer 5

I do not think they do because some planets are smaller than others which may or may not effect the speed of the orbit. The mass may be the same for all planets but because of different minerals, rocks, and gasses on planets, they probably orbit at different speeds.

Answer 6

no, the planet travels faster when it is closer to the sun and slower when it is farther away

Answer 7

No. Their orbital velocities are all different and indeed the speed of the movement for any one planet changes with time because the orbits are elliptical.