Stable Orbits
Physics: AQA GCSE Higher, topic 8.1.5
Stable Orbits
Objects in the Solar System travel in stable orbits. There is a relationship between their speed and radius.
Stable orbit
- If the speed of the object in orbit changes, the radius of the orbit also changes.
- If the radius of the orbit decreases, the speed increases as the gravitational attraction is greater.
- If the radius of the orbit increases, the speed decreases as the gravitational attraction is smaller.
- This explains why planets closer to the sun travel at a faster speed.
Test yourself on Stable Orbits
What happens when the radius of an object in orbit increases?
What happens when the radius of an object in orbit decreases?