5
QuizMultiple Choice

Earth-Moon-Sun System

Question 5 • 2003390-Physics 1 Honors Sem. 1 - Peters

The mass of the Sun is 2 × 1030 kg, and the distance between Neptune and the Sun is 30 AU. What is the orbital period of Neptune in Earth years?

Answer
A
30 Earth years
B
164 Earth years
C
3.8 × 1011 Earth years
D
2.3 × 1017 Earth years

Explanation

For planets orbiting the Sun, Kepler’s third law in Earth units is P² = a³, where P is the period in Earth years and a is the distance in AU. With a = 30, P = √(30³) = √27,000 ≈ 164 years. Therefore, the correct choice is 164 Earth years.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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