Kepler's third law

Relates the orbital period of a planet to the size of its orbit, so the square of the period divided by the cube of the semimajor axis is constant for bodies orbiting the same central mass. It is used to compute orbital periods or distances in celestial mechanics.

\frac{a^3}{T^2}=\frac{GM}{4\pi^2}

What the symbols mean

semi-major axis of the orbit (m)
orbital period (s)
Newtonian gravitational constant (m^3 kg^-1 s^-2)
mass of the central body (kg)

About this formula

  • FieldPhysics
  • TopicCelestial mechanics
  • LevelUniversity
  • Also calledKepler's third law of planetary motion, Kepler's harmonic law, harmonic law, orbital period formula, square of period proportional to cube of semimajor axis
  • SourceWikidata Q122928319

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