Kepler’s Second Law

Illustration showing Kepler’s Second Law
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Kepler’s Second Law describes the way an object’s speed varies along its orbit. A planet’s orbital speed changes, depending on how far it is from the Sun. The closer a planet is to the Sun, the stronger the Sun’s gravitational pull on it, and the faster the planet moves. The farther it is from the Sun, the weaker the Sun’s gravitational pull, and the slower it moves in its orbit. 

Categories: Flight Dynamics