Planetary motion and gravity

Newton, as a young man of 24, guessed that gravity might provide the force to keep the planets in their orbits. Some simple demonstrations illustrate the connection between gravitational forces and planetary phenomena.

Experiments

• The inverse square law with light
• Sketching a satellite orbit and predicting its period
• Spinning demonstration with V-channel
• Model of the oblate Earth
• Precession of the equinoxes
• Precession
• Model to illustrate precession of the Earth

Related Guidance

• A (very) brief history of astronomy
• What pushes planets along?