Which satellite, being at almost the same distance from the planet as the Moon from the Earth, has an orbital period 10 times shorter?
September 22, 2020 | Education
| Which satellite, being at almost the same distance from the planet as the Moon from the Earth, has an orbital period 10 times shorter? Why is this happening?
The radius of the Moon’s orbit is 384.4 thousand km, the period of revolution around the Earth is 27.3 days.
The orbital radius of Saturn’s satellite Dione is 377.4 thousand km, and the orbital period is only 2.737 days. This phenomenon occurs due to the fact that the mass of Saturn is significantly greater than the mass of the Earth.
