Light Speed

• The planets and moons of the solar system are visible from Earth when they reflect light
from the Sun
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o The outer regions of the Solar System are around 5 × 10 m from the Sun, which
means even light takes some time to travel these distances
• The Sun is so far away from Earth that the light we see actually left the Sun eight minutes
earlier
o the nearest star to us after the Sun is so far away that light from it takes four years
to reach us
o The Milky Way galaxy contains billions of stars, huge distances away, with the light
taking even longer to be seen from Earth
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• The speed of light is a constant 3 × 10 m/s
o Therefore, using the equation:

•
o The time taken to travel a certain distance can be calculated by rearranging to:

Worked Example
Calculate the time taken for light from the Sun to reach Mercury if the radius of Mercury's orbit is
9
5.8 × 10 m.
Step 1: State the equation for the time taken for light to travel a certain distance

Step 2: Substitute in the values

•
o The distance travelled is the radius of the orbit
9
▪ Distance, d = 5.8 × 10 m.
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o Speed = the speed of light, v = 3.0 × 10 m/s

Step 3: Round up the answer and include units

Exam Tip
The speed of light is very fast. This is why in our everyday life things like switching on a light
seem to be instant. However, this is only because the light travels very fast and the distances
we perceive are very small. In large, astronomical distances which can be millions or even
billions of kilometres, the limit of the speed of light starts to have an affect.
For example, it takes light 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth. This means we are
seeing the Sun as it was eight minutes ago. If the Sun was to disappear, we would not notice till
eight minutes later. Although, by that time, time delay would be the least of our worries...
p.s.: The Sun is not going to vanish!

Elliptical Orbits
EXTENDED
• Orbits of planets, minor planets and comets are elliptical
o An ellipse is just a 'squashed' circle
• Planets, minor planets and comets have elliptical orbits
o However, the Sun is not at the centre of an elliptical orbit
o This is only the case when the orbit is approximately circular
• In an elliptical orbit, the Sun is not at the centre of the orbit
o However, in a circular orbit, the Sun is at the centre

Planets and comets travel in elliptical orbits, but the Sun is not at the centre of these
orbits
Exam Tip
You will not be asked to do any calculations with elliptical orbits. If you are asked to calculate the
time period, orbital speed or radius of an orbit, it can be assumed that it is circular.
Analysing Orbits
EXTENDED
• Over many years, data about all the planets, moons and the Sun have been collected
• This is not just for general interest, but to indicate:
o Factors that affect conditions on the surface of the planets
o Environmental problems that a visit (using manned spaceships or robots) would
encounter
Table of Data for Planets in our Solar System

Uniform
Orbital Surface
Orbital duration / Density / Surface
Planet distance / Gravitational
days or years kg/m3 Temperature/ °C
million km Field Strength/
N/kg
Mercury 57.9 88 days 5427 350 3.7
Venus 108.2 225 days 5243 460 8.9
Earth 149.6 365 days 5514 20 9.8
Mars 227.9 687 days 3933 –23 3.7
Jupiter 778.6 11.9 years 1326 –120 23.1
Saturn 1433.5 29.5 years 687 –180 9.0
Uranus 2872.5 75 years 1271 –210 8.7
Neptune 4495.1 165 years 1638 –220 11.0
• There are some common themes from the data of the planets is:
• Orbital duration (how long it takes to travel around the Sun) increases with orbital distance
(distance from the Sun)
 o The circular path that the planet's travel in has a larger radius
• Orbital duration increases with orbital distance
o E.g. Neptune travels much slower than Mercury
o The planets further away from the Sun experience a weaker gravitational pull, so
move slower in their orbit
• Surface temperature decreases with orbital distance except for Venus
o Venus has a dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide, trapping in heat through the
greenhouse effect
• The surface gravitational field strength doesn't just depend on a planet's size, but also its
mass
o This is why although Uranus is 4 times larger than Earth, it has a smaller
gravitational field strength because it is less dense

Exam Tip
Although you don't need to memorise any of this data, you must be able to confidently analyse
and interpret it. Look out for trends such as one variable increasing whilst the the other
decreases (or also increases). This carefully about why that may be with what you have already
learnt about the planets from this topic. For example, what is the planet made of? What is its
distance from the Sun and how does this affect it?