Question

Kepler's first law states that the orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. Which of the following statements describe a characteristic of the solar system that is explained by Kepler's first law?

Answer 1

Pluto moves faster when it is closer to the Sun than when it is farther from the Sun.
Earth is slightly closer to the Sun on one side of its orbit than on the other side.
All the planets orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane.
Venus orbits the Sun faster than Earth orbits the Sun.
The Sun is located slightly off-center from the middle of each planet's orbit.
Inner planets orbit the Sun at higher speed than outer planets.

Answer 2

B and E

'None of the planets has a perfectly circular orbit, which means that all planets (including Earth) are closer to the Sun on one side of their orbit than on the other. The Sun's off-center position arises because it is located at a focus of each planet's elliptical orbit, rather than at the center of the ellipse.'