Yes, because both scales are logarithmic, it's a straight line. This illustrates how orbital mechanics works. Anything bound to the Sun's gravity (asteroids, etc.) would fall on this line.
The relationship between the speed and distance from the Sun is governed by Kepler's third law.
The ratio of the square of an object's orbital period with the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit is the same for all objects orbiting the same primary.
first believed I was dreaming... But it is absolutely certain and exact that the ratio which exists between the period times of any two planets is precisely the ratio of the 3/2th power of the mean distance.
— translated from Harmonies of the World by Kepler (1619)
Data was beautiful in 1619 as much as today.
But this data has another hugely important point, it marks something of a beginning of science as opposed to the philosophy. We stopped seeing planets as "heavenly entities" who motion was governed but ideas like "their nature was to be in the heavens" in Aristoteles world but the things in the heavens were bodies that moved to rules defined by mathematics. This was pushed by Galielo who used a telescope to show they were not perfect spheres.
And finally Newton showed they moved to the same laws as an apple falling on Earth.
![image showing Planets' distances from the Sun VS orbital times. PLUTO INCLUDED, screw the rules! [OC]](f1228814-9ac2-5bac-9d39-6e6c2fb5f54c.jpg)
blujesters1 on October 2nd, 2020 at 13:33 UTC »
Don't tell Scroopy Noopers.
wwarnout on October 2nd, 2020 at 13:43 UTC »
Yes, because both scales are logarithmic, it's a straight line. This illustrates how orbital mechanics works. Anything bound to the Sun's gravity (asteroids, etc.) would fall on this line.
ferrelhadley on October 2nd, 2020 at 14:20 UTC »
The relationship between the speed and distance from the Sun is governed by Kepler's third law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler%27s_laws_of_planetary_motion#Third_law
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Solar_system_planets_a%28AU%29_vs_period%28terrestrial_years%29.svg
This is what Kepler wrote when he found it
Data was beautiful in 1619 as much as today.
But this data has another hugely important point, it marks something of a beginning of science as opposed to the philosophy. We stopped seeing planets as "heavenly entities" who motion was governed but ideas like "their nature was to be in the heavens" in Aristoteles world but the things in the heavens were bodies that moved to rules defined by mathematics. This was pushed by Galielo who used a telescope to show they were not perfect spheres.
And finally Newton showed they moved to the same laws as an apple falling on Earth.