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Category Archives: Short Questions

Sometimes you have a question that has a simple answer, and you’re not interested in all the extra background info. This page is full of short no-nonsense answers, for researchers on the go. Any extra background info will be referenced by a link. I guarantee, not one single answer will take more than a single paragraph!

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How long is a year on Jupiter?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 22 Feb, 2014 by Allen Versfeld

The planet Jupiter takes 4331.6 earth days to orbit around the Sun. This means than one Jupiter year equals almost 11.9 Earth years. Because Jupiter rotates so rapidly around its axis, its year lasts 10,501 of its own days. Jupiter has such a long year because it is quite far from the Sun. Not only does this mean it has a longer path to travel on its orbit, but the Sun’s gravity is much weaker at that distance, requiring it … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Astronomy 101, Questions and Answers, Short Questions | Leave a reply

How long is a year on Mars?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 22 Feb, 2014 by Allen Versfeld5 Jul, 2016

The planet Mars takes 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun. This means that a martian year lasts 22.9 months, or almost two full Earth years. A martian day is only very slightly longer than an Earth day, so that Mars’ year is 670 martian days long. Mars’s year is longer than Earth’s because it is further from the Sun than Earth is, so that it feels the Sun’s gravity more weakly than the Earth does. This means that it … Continue reading →

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How long is a year on Venus?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 22 Feb, 2014 by Allen Versfeld

The planet Venus takes 224.7 Earth days to orbit the Sun. This means than a Venus year is a little more than seven months long. Interestingly, Venus’ day is slightly longer than its year, and the planet revolves around its axis backwards compared to all the other planets in the Solar System, so that Venus is very close to being tidally locked. In a few hundred million years, that process will complete as tidal forces gradually slow Venus’s rotation enough … Continue reading →

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How long is a year on Mercury?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 22 Feb, 2014 by Allen Versfeld

Mercury takes 88 days to orbit around the Sun, which means that one Mercury year lasts less than three Earth months. Mercury has such a short year because it is very close to the Sun. According to Newton’s Law of gravity, this means that the Sun’s gravity is much stronger at Mercury than it is for Earth, and this requires it to move a great deal faster if it is to stay in its orbit, which is why it has … Continue reading →

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What is a planetary nebula?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 10 Jan, 2014 by Allen Versfeld

Planetary nebulae are clouds of dust and gas ejected from older stars as they move on to the next stage in their evolution. When a star uses up all its hydrogen fuel, and begins to burn helium, the core heats dramatically, causing the outer layers of the star to inflate dramatically. The outer layers of the star escape its gravity, and the solar wind of high energy particles and radiation accelerates the still superheated plasma out into space where it … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Astronomy 101, Questions and Answers, Short Questions | Leave a reply

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