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Kepler’s laws of planetary motion
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A diagram illustrating Kepler's first law of planetary motion, showing Earth traveling in an elliptical orbit around the Sun, which is positioned at one focus of the ellipse.
Exploring Kepler's laws of planetary motion
Kepler's revolutionary laws of planetary motion
A diagram illustrating Kepler's second law of planetary motion, showing an elliptical orbit around the Sun with two shaded sectors representing equal areas swept by a planet in equal time intervals, labeled as one month each. A chart explains Kepler's third law of planetary motion, showing a table of planets with their orbital periods, mean distances from the Sun, and calculations demonstrating that the ratio of the period squared to the mean distance cubed is nearly constant. Mathematical formulas and a summary of the law are included.
planetary orbits: Kepler, Newton, and gravity
orbital elements
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Model of a molecule. Atom, Biology, Molecular Structure, Science, Science and Technology. Homepage 2010 arts and entertainment, history and society
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Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
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Kepler’s laws of planetary motion: References & Edit History

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: NASA - Scientific Visualization Studio - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion Described Using Earth Satellites. Sep 26, 2026
Add new Web site: Physics LibreTexts - Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and his Laws of Planetary Motion. Jul 04, 2025
Add new Web site: OpenEd at JWU - College Physics - Satellites and Kepler’s Laws: An Argument for Simplicity. Jun 20, 2025
Add new Web site: NASA - Scientific Visualization Studio - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion Described Using Earth Satellites. Feb 15, 2025
Questions and answers added. Feb 14, 2025
Add new Web site: Openstax - Physics - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. Jan 07, 2025
Add new Web site: UMass Lowell - Kepler�s Laws of Planetary Motion. Oct 21, 2024
Add new Web site: Academia - Kepler's laws of planetary motion, before and after Newton's Principia: An essay on the transformation of scientific problems. Sep 09, 2024
Add new Web site: Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research - Proof of Kepler�s Laws of Planetary Motion. Jul 29, 2024
Add new Web site: Physics LibreTexts - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. Dec 08, 2023
Add new Web site: Universities of Wisconsin Open Ed Network - Survey of Astronomy - The Laws of Planetary Motion. Mar 29, 2023
Add new Web site: OpenStax - University Physics Volume 1 - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. Nov 11, 2022
Add new Web site: NASA Science - Orbits and Kepler�s Laws. Aug 22, 2022
Media added. Jun 01, 2021
Changed "unpowered spacecraft in orbit in stellar system or near planets" to "stellar systems and extrasolar planets." Oct 31, 2019
Added video. Jun 26, 2019
Added three diagrams of Kepler's laws. Feb 01, 2018
Add new Web site: University of Rochester - Department of Physics and Astronomy - Johannes Kepler: The Laws of Planetary Motion. Oct 24, 2017
Corrected display issue. Jul 18, 2017
Add new Web site: Regents of the University of California - Kepler and the First Law of Planetary Motion. Mar 20, 2016
Add new Web site: Kansas State University - Mathematics Department - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation. Mar 20, 2016
Add new Web site: New Mexico State University - Kepler and Brahe. Mar 20, 2016
Add new Web site: New Mexico State University - Kepler and Brahe. Mar 20, 2016
Add new Web site: University of Walterloo - Kepler's Law of Planetary Motion. Mar 20, 2016
Add new Web site: Nasa - Goddard Space Flight Center - Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion. Mar 20, 2016
Add new Web site: The Physics Classroom - Kepler's Three Laws. Feb 15, 2016
Add new Web site: University of Nebraska, Lincoln - Astronomy Education: Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. Feb 15, 2016
Add new Web site: The Physics Classroom - Kepler's Three Laws. Feb 15, 2016
Add new Web site: Western Washington University - Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion. Feb 15, 2016
Add new Web site: Western Washington University - Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion. Feb 15, 2016
Add new Web site: University of Nebraska, Lincoln - Astronomy Education: Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. Feb 15, 2016
Add new Web site: Hyperphysics - Kepler's Laws. Nov 26, 2012
Add new Web site: Hyperphysics - Kepler's Laws. Nov 26, 2012
Add new Web site: Fact Monster - Science - Kepler's Laws. Aug 18, 2011
Media added. Nov 17, 2009
Added new Web site: Online Math Applications - Gravity. Aug 18, 2006
Added new Web site: University of Tennessee - Astronomy 161: The Solar System. Jun 30, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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