how did the sciectists figure that out?
2007-01-11 04:29:05 · 3 answers · asked by Ganbatteru 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The positions of the planets as seen in our sky are observed on different days, over long periods of time, and everything is calculated from the various position measurements.
2007-01-11 04:39:03 · answer #1 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The distance is determined by shining a laser on the planet and taking the light that reflects back, then dividing the speed of light by the time of time it took to figure distance. The speed is determined buy taking a series of photos and seeing how much the planted moved in a given time, then scientists use some complex algorithms to determine speed.
2007-01-11 12:36:27 · answer #2 · answered by Richie B. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Johannis Kepler determined that planets sweep out equal areas in equal time. Pay attention now, this gets complicated. Draw a line from the center of the sun to the earth. Wait four months. Draw another line to the earth and connect it to where the earth was four months ago. This triangle is the area sweeped in four months. Now, do the same for Mars. Mars has a year longer than the earth's, some 400-odd days. Its 4-month triangle will be slimmer than the earths but will have the SAME area. Go out to Saturn and the triangle gets really long and slim but still has the same area. Mercury whizzes around the sun in 88 days. Pluto, its planetary status notwithstanding, takes over 400 years to make the same trip.
2007-01-11 23:31:21 · answer #3 · answered by kevpet2005 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋