Orbit · Estonian PhO 2014 #3

Physics · mechanics

Problem

Celestial bodies revolve on elliptic orbits. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is also elliptic. The Moon’s smallest distance from the center of mass of the Earth-Sun system (which in this problem can be assumed to coincide with the center of the Earth) is r1=\SI360000kmr_{1}=\SI{360000}{km} and the orbital speed at that distance is v1=\SI1.1km/sv_1=\SI{1.1}{km/s}. Find the approximately biggest distance between the Moon and the Earth. The mass of the Earth is M=\SI6.0e24kgM=\SI{6.0e24}{kg} and the gravitational constant is G=\SI6.7e−11\newton\metre\squared\per\kilo\gram\squaredG=\SI{6.7e-11}{\newton\metre\squared\per\kilo\gram\squared}.

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