The orbital period of the planets increases with the distance from the sun. The connection is described in the German astronomer Johannes Kepler’s third law, which reads: “The orbital period of a planet squared is proportional to the distance to the sun cubed”.
This means, for example, that if planet A is four times as far from the sun as planet B, the orbital period of A will be eight times longer than that of B.
It is therefore quite natural that Neptune, which is the outermost planet, has the longest year, while the orbital period becomes shorter for each planet the closer we get to the Sun.
The dwarf planet takes the prize
However, the solar system extends further than Neptune. The limit is often set where the gas pressure from outer space and the pressure from the solar wind equalize each other. It occurs approximately 150 billion kilometers from the Sun.
The celestial body with the largest orbit that constantly stays within the boundary of the solar system is the dwarf planet Eris, which was discovered in 2005.
2023-12-31 12:24:35
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