Kepler's Third Law states that the square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
Mathematically:
T² ∝ a³
where:
* T is the orbital period (in years)
* a is the semi-major axis of the orbit (in astronomical units, AU)
This means:
* The farther a planet is from the sun, the longer its orbital period. This is because the planet has to travel a larger distance to complete one orbit.
* The relationship is not linear, but rather a power law. This means that a small change in distance from the sun can result in a much larger change in orbital period.
Example:
* Earth is about 1 AU from the sun and has an orbital period of 1 year.
* Mars is about 1.52 AU from the sun and has an orbital period of about 1.88 years.
Important Note:
Kepler's Third Law holds true for all objects orbiting the sun, not just planets. This includes comets, asteroids, and even artificial satellites.