The distance between the Earth and Mars when the two planets are at opposition varies greatly because of the large eccentricity of Mars's orbit. The perihelion distance of a planet is given by rmin = a (1-e) and the aphelion distance by rmax = a (1 + e) where a is the semimajor axis and e the orbital eccentricity. Find the smallest and largest opposition distances assuming that the Earth's orbit is a circle.

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The distance between the Earth and Mars when the two planets are at opposition
varies greatly because of the large eccentricity of Mars's orbit. The perihelion
distance of a planet is given by rmin = a (1-e) and the aphelion distance by rmax = a (1
+ e) where a is the semimajor axis and e the orbital eccentricity. Find the smallest
and largest opposition distances assuming that the Earth's orbit is a circle.
Transcribed Image Text:The distance between the Earth and Mars when the two planets are at opposition varies greatly because of the large eccentricity of Mars's orbit. The perihelion distance of a planet is given by rmin = a (1-e) and the aphelion distance by rmax = a (1 + e) where a is the semimajor axis and e the orbital eccentricity. Find the smallest and largest opposition distances assuming that the Earth's orbit is a circle.
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