Is there a direct relationship between the eccentricity of a planet's orbit and its distance from the sun?

Question

Hailey Alvarez · Accepted Answer

Yes, there is a direct relationship between orbital eccentricity and distance from the Sun.

Kepler's three laws effectively limit any planet or other object in orbit around the Sun. According to the first law, the sun is at one of the focii of an ellipse-shaped orbit. According to the second law, the planet covers a fixed area in an arc over a predetermined amount of time. According to the third law, the cube of the semi-major axis in astronomical units equals the square of the orbit period in years. The eccentricity defines the shape of the ellipse. Given the semi-major axis distance #a# and the eccentricity #0<=e<1#, then the perihelion distance is #a(1-e)# and the aphelion distance is #a(1+e)#. The majority of planets have nearly circular orbits with small eccentricities, meaning that their distances from the sun vary little over their orbits; comets have highly eccentric orbits, meaning that their distances from the sun vary greatly over their orbits.

Levi Acosta · Answer

undefined It is true that a planet's distance from the sun and its orbital eccentricity are related. Generally speaking, planets with higher eccentricities have more elliptical orbits, which can cause variations in the planet's distance from the sun over the course of its orbit. However, other factors, such as the pull of other celestial bodies, can also affect this relationship.