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Kepler discovered that the planets move in elliptical orbits and he published three laws of planetary motion that explained the details of the ellipses.

Kepler's work used observations done by Tycho Brahe, and subsequent observations confirmed that Kepler's laws were correct (they still are). No-one knew why until the later discoveries of the laws of motion and the laws of gravity about 70 years later.

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Q: What did Johannes Kepler discover that the paths planets follow are?
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Johannes Kepler discovered that the paths follow are?

oval in shape.


What force makes planets travel in near circular orbit?

Planets follow the laws of gravity as described by Sir Isaac Newton and detailed by Johannes Kepler. ... But not quite... Einstien discovered something years later that will blow your mind if you take the trouble to check it out. You would have learned a lot more (and still can) by looking deeper. JCF


How does Newton contribute to the model of the solar system?

Newton's work explained how the planets follow Kepler's three laws of planetary motion, in detail, and therefore provided a huge boost to the general acceptance of the Kepler model. It could be described as the beginning of analytical science. Kepler found from observations that the planets follow elliptical orbits, and Newton showed that with an inverse-square gravity force between each planet and the Sun, the planet must conform with all of Kepler's laws. Along the way Newton produced important discoveries in theoretical science: the three laws of motion and the differential calculus, and all of those were necessary parts of his detailed work on the planets. From measurements of the planets' distances and sizes, along with observations of Jupiter's moons, it was then possible to use Newton's results to calculate the mass of all the planets and moons, and the gravity forces acting on them.


How was the discovery of the ellipse orbit made?

It was the result of hard work by Johannes Kepler, working at the start of the 17th century on new observations by Tycho Brahe. Kepler had a set of measurements of the planets' positions, and over a period of months and years he tried to explain the movements of the planets, because they did not exactly fit the old theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus. So he said to himself, let's try an ellipse, and it worked. At that stage he did not have a reason for the elliptical orbit, other than that it fitted the observations. Much later, Newton explained how a planet moving in the Sun's gravity must follow an elliptical orbit.


What is helio centric model?

A heliocentric model is a model of the planets' movements that places the Sun at the centre of the Solar System. Copernicus's model published in 1543 was the first heliocentric model. It resembled the Ptolemaic model in respect of the circles and epicycles that were used to explain the planets' movements. Kepler's model published in 1609 was also heliocentric, but it used planar elliptical orbits for the planets, which follow Kepler's 3 laws of planetary motion. It is now the accepted model.

Related questions

Who found out that the planets follow an elliptical orbit?

Johannes Kepler is credited with that discovery.


Johannes Kepler discovered that the paths follow are?

oval in shape.


What force makes planets travel in near circular orbit?

Planets follow the laws of gravity as described by Sir Isaac Newton and detailed by Johannes Kepler. ... But not quite... Einstien discovered something years later that will blow your mind if you take the trouble to check it out. You would have learned a lot more (and still can) by looking deeper. JCF


What does a orbit look like?

Meteoroids follow the normal rules for orbits: Kepler's laws of planetary motion, just like the planets. Thus the basic shape is an ellipse.


How did Johannes Kepler contribute to the modern understanding of the solar system?

Our model of how the Solar System operates was discovered by Kepler with his three laws of planetary motion, published in 1609. He took an entirely new approach to planets' orbits after new and accurate observations of the planets' positions had been carried out by Tycho Brahe with the latest equipment. After a lot of detailed geometric work on the orbit of Mars Kepler found that an elliptical orbit fitted the way Mars moves, more closely than anything else. From that he deduced the famous three laws. However it was not until the time of Isaac newton that they started to understand why the planets move as they do, after the force of gravity was discovered. Newton's major discovery was that when the planets move under the inverse-square law of gravity, they must follow Kepler's three laws. The circles and epicycles of Copernicus's system represent the planets' orbits with good accuracy provided the eccentricity factor is small. This theory was replaced by that of Kepler. Kepler's decision to study Mars, which has an orbit with 9% eccentricity (higher than the other major planets) was a good choice because it shows up the difference. Even with this eccentricity the the minor axis of the orbit is less than 0.5% shorter than the major axis.


How did the work of Johannes Kepler contribute to the modern understanding the solar system?

Our model of how the Solar System operates was discovered by Kepler with his three laws of planetary motion, published in 1609. He took an entirely new approach to planets' orbits after new and accurate observations of the planets' positions had been carried out by Tycho Brahe with the latest equipment. After a lot of detailed geometric work on the orbit of Mars Kepler found that an elliptical orbit fitted the way Mars moves, more closely than anything else. From that he deduced the famous three laws. However it was not until the time of Isaac newton that they started to understand why the planets move as they do, after the force of gravity was discovered. Newton's major discovery was that when the planets move under the inverse-square law of gravity, they must follow Kepler's three laws. The circles and epicycles of Copernicus's system represent the planets' orbits with good accuracy provided the eccentricity factor is small. This theory was replaced by that of Kepler. Kepler's decision to study Mars, which has an orbit with 9% eccentricity (higher than the other major planets) was a good choice because it shows up the difference. Even with this eccentricity the the minor axis of the orbit is less than 0.5% shorter than the major axis.


How does Newton contribute to the model of the solar system?

Newton's work explained how the planets follow Kepler's three laws of planetary motion, in detail, and therefore provided a huge boost to the general acceptance of the Kepler model. It could be described as the beginning of analytical science. Kepler found from observations that the planets follow elliptical orbits, and Newton showed that with an inverse-square gravity force between each planet and the Sun, the planet must conform with all of Kepler's laws. Along the way Newton produced important discoveries in theoretical science: the three laws of motion and the differential calculus, and all of those were necessary parts of his detailed work on the planets. From measurements of the planets' distances and sizes, along with observations of Jupiter's moons, it was then possible to use Newton's results to calculate the mass of all the planets and moons, and the gravity forces acting on them.


What does a meteroid's orbit look like?

Meteoroids follow the normal rules for orbits: Kepler's laws of planetary motion, just like the planets. Thus the basic shape is an ellipse.


How was the discovery of the ellipses orbit made?

It was the result of hard work by Johannes Kepler, working at the start of the 17th century on new observations by Tycho Brahe. Kepler had a set of measurements of the planets' positions, and over a period of months and years he tried to explain the movements of the planets, because they did not exactly fit the old theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus. So he said to himself, let's try an ellipse, and it worked. At that stage he did not have a reason for the elliptical orbit, other than that it fitted the observations. Much later, Newton explained how a planet moving in the Sun's gravity must follow an elliptical orbit.


How was the discovery of the ellipse orbit made?

It was the result of hard work by Johannes Kepler, working at the start of the 17th century on new observations by Tycho Brahe. Kepler had a set of measurements of the planets' positions, and over a period of months and years he tried to explain the movements of the planets, because they did not exactly fit the old theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus. So he said to himself, let's try an ellipse, and it worked. At that stage he did not have a reason for the elliptical orbit, other than that it fitted the observations. Much later, Newton explained how a planet moving in the Sun's gravity must follow an elliptical orbit.


Whose heliocentric model is seen as the first step in the development of modern models of the solar systems?

Johannes Kepler produced the model of the solar system that is used today. His work, published in 1609, was based on observations of the planets' positions made by Tycho Brahe using new equipment of higher accuracy than ever before. Kepler departed from the old models of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho which used circles and epicycles, and hit on the idea of ellpitical orbits for the six known planets. His model showed excellent agreement with the observations, which pleased Kepler but he had no idea why this was so. About 80 years later Newton's laws of motion and law of gravity were published and he was able to show that an object under the inverse-square law of gravity must follow an elliptical orbit. It was appreciated that the planets must move in their elliptical orbits under the Sun's gravity, and Kepler's model was generally accepted.


What is helio centric model?

A heliocentric model is a model of the planets' movements that places the Sun at the centre of the Solar System. Copernicus's model published in 1543 was the first heliocentric model. It resembled the Ptolemaic model in respect of the circles and epicycles that were used to explain the planets' movements. Kepler's model published in 1609 was also heliocentric, but it used planar elliptical orbits for the planets, which follow Kepler's 3 laws of planetary motion. It is now the accepted model.