This activity examines the relationship that Kepler found between the orbital period of a planet and its orbital distance from the Sun. Suppose that you had two planets: Nushk, which is a huge Jovian (Jupiter-like) planet that orbits close to its star, and Shron, which is a small terrestrial (Earth-like) planet that orbits far away from its star. Using this information, answer questions 1-3.
1. Which of the two planets (Nushk or Shron) would move around the star for the longest amount of time? Would your answer change if they switched positions? Explain your reasoning.
2. If Nushk became less massive, would the orbital period increase, decrease, or stay the same? Explain your reasoning.
3. If both planets orbited their star at the same distance but they would never collide, which planet would orbit the star for the least amount of time? Explain your reasoning.