What names are given to a planet's closest and farthest points from the sun in its orbit?
AEccentricity (closest) and focus (farthest)
BAphelion (closest) and perihelion (farthest)
CApogee (closest) and perigee (farthest)
DPerihelion (closest) and aphelion (farthest)
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Perihelion (closest) and aphelion (farthest)
1. The closest approach to the sun is named perihelion.
2. The farthest distance from the sun is named aphelion.
3. Apogee and perigee are the equivalent terms used for orbits around Earth instead of the sun.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 7 "Newton's Law of Gravitation", section 7.1 Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion_
Keep practising Newton's Law of Gravitation
Browse all Newton's Law of Gravitation questions for NCEA Level 3, or explore more Physics topics.
Related questions
Earth's closest approach to the sun is 1.47 x 10^8 km, and its farthest distance is 1.52 xA moon's orbital focal point sits 50,000 km from the center of its elliptical orbit, and tEarth orbits the sun at 1.496 x 10^8 km, taking one year. Neptune orbits at 4.490 x 10^9 kMercury orbits the sun with a period of 88.0 days at an average radius of 5.791 x 10^10 m.Using G = 6.673 x 10^-11 N.m^2/kg^2, what is the gravitational force between two 60.0 kg pEarth's radius is 6.37 x 10^6 m, and g at its surface is about 9.8 m/s^2. Using G = 6.673 Who first measured the gravitational constant G experimentally, and when?Why does the moon not trace a perfectly smooth circle around the sun?