Solar System Orbit Simulator
Experiment with planetary orbital velocity, Keplerian resonance, and astronomical unit distances across the inner and outer Solar System.
Keplerian Solar System Dynamics Lab
Real-time orbital resonance, semi-major axes, and period calculations based on Kepler's Third Law (P² = a³).
Earth
1 AUOasis of liquid water, active plate tectonics, and thriving biosphere.
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
1. Law of Ellipses: The orbit of a planet is an ellipse with the Sun located at one of the two focal points.
2. Law of Equal Areas: A line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.
3. Law of Harmonies: The square of the orbital period ($P^2$) is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis ($a^3$) of its orbit:
Orbital Eccentricity & Perturbations
While Earth enjoys a nearly circular orbit ($e = 0.017$), Mercury ($e = 0.205$) exhibits pronounced perihelion precession driven by Einsteinian spacetime curvature. Gravitational interactions between giant outer planets (Jupiter and Saturn) create orbital resonances that govern asteroid belts and Kuiper belt structures.