* Orbital Velocity: Each planet orbits the Sun at a different speed, determined by its distance from the Sun and the shape of its orbit.
* Kepler's Laws: Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion describe this relationship:
* Kepler's Second Law: A planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times. This means a planet moves faster when closer to the Sun and slower when farther away.
* Kepler's Third Law: The square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun. This means planets farther from the Sun take longer to orbit, and thus have slower average orbital speeds.
Example:
* Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, orbits at a speed of about 48 kilometers per second.
* Neptune, the farthest planet from the Sun, orbits at a speed of about 5.4 kilometers per second.
So, even though they all orbit the Sun, each planet has its own unique orbital speed!
