Question

sy 25 - 26 ees unit 1 astronomy earth travels on an elliptical orbit around the sun. when earth is at the point labeled on the diagram, it moves most quickly in its orbit. which best explains this more rapid motion of earth? the amount of solar heat reaching earth is greatest at this point. the suns gravitational pull on earth is strongest at this point. earth is closest to the suns magnetic field at this point. earth is closest to the suns radioactivity at this point.

Explanation:

According to Kepler's second - law (law of equal areas), a planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun in its elliptical orbit. When Earth is at the point in its orbit where it moves most quickly, it is closest to the Sun. At this point, the Sun's gravitational pull on Earth is the strongest. The gravitational force between two objects is given by $F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}$, where $r$ is the distance between them. As $r$ is the smallest at this point, the gravitational force is the largest, causing Earth to move more rapidly.

Answer:

The Sun's gravitational pull on Earth is strongest at this point.