By using either the Doppler or Transit methods, you can determine the orbital period of the planet. Using just that information, what else can you determine about the planet? (Hint: think Kepler's laws).

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks what additional property we can infer from knowing the orbital period, by invoking Kepler's laws.
Option 1: "The composition of the planet". Period alone tells us nothing about what the planet is made of; composition requires measurements like spectra or density, not just how long the orbit lasts.
Option 2: "The rotation rate of the planet". The orbital period of the planet around the star has no direct information about how fast the planet spins on its axis; rotation rate is independent of orbital period unless additional tidal locking information is considered, which is not given here.
Option 3: "The mass of the planet". While Kepler's laws relate period and orbital distance to the mass of the star, not the planet, the planet’s mass cannot be determined solely from the orbital period and the star’s mass without more data (e.g., radial velocity amplitude or transit timing variations). In general, a single-planet transit or Doppler signal yields mass of the star-dominant system, not a precise planetary mass from period alone.
Option 4: "The distance the planet orbits from its star". This is the key takeaway from Kepler's third law: once you know the orbital period and the star’s mass (to a reasonable approximation), you can estimate the semi-major axis, i.e., the distance from the planet to the star. Thus, from the period alone you can infer the orbital scale when combined with stellar mass assumptions, making this the correct choice.

ASTR-1-45046-F25 Lecture: Exoplanets

By using either the Doppler or Transit methods, you can determine the orbital period of the planet. Using just that information, what else can you determine about the planet? (Hint: think Kepler's laws).

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