How do I figure out how long it takes a planet to orbit?

Author Question: How do I figure out how long it takes a planet to orbit? (Read 1284 times)

go.lag

Hero Member
Posts: 667

on: Oct 3, 2013

Venus passes earth every 583. Is there a formula that I can use to calculate how many days it takes Venus to orbit the sun?

curlz

Hero Member
Posts: 538

Reply #1 on: Oct 3, 2013

583 days is the synodic period (S) of Earth and Venus. The formula you need is 1/S = 1/V - 1/E where V is the orbital period of Venus and E is the orbital period of the Earth. Rearrange to get: 1/V = 1/S + 1/E

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