Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
Interactive 3D simulation of planetary orbitsWebGL Not Supported
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Current Period: 1.0 years
Semi-major Axis: 1.0 AU
Semi-major Axis: 1.0 AU
Drag to rotate view | Scroll to zoom | Adjust eccentricity to see different orbit shapes
Equal Area Law Visualization
The colored sectors show equal areas swept in equal time intervals, demonstrating that the planet moves faster when closer to the Sun.
Kepler's First Law (Law of Ellipses)
Planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.
Kepler's Second Law
Planets move faster through wider segments (near Sun) and slower through narrower segments (far from Sun).
Kepler's Third Law (Law of Harmonies)
The square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis.
