Orbital Eccentricities of the Planets. In this exercise, you will observe which planets have the greatest orbital eccentricities. Using Starry Night Enthusiast™, select Favourites Solar System  Inner...

Orbital Eccentricities of the Planets. In this exercise, you will observe which planets have the greatest orbital eccentricities. Using Starry Night Enthusiast™, select Favourites
Solar System
 Inner Planets
 Inner Solar System from the menu. Stop the advance of time. You will see the orbits of the inner four planets. Use the Location Scroller (hold down the Shift key while holding the mouse button [left button on PC] and moving the mouse) to adjust the view so that the orbits are seen face on, in the plane of the screen. Zoom in to about 50°. Using the fact that Venus’s orbital eccentricity is .007 (very nearly circular), note which two of the inner four planets have the least circular orbits. Now select Favourites
 Solar System
 Outer Planets
 Outer Solar System from the menu and stop time advance to view the orbits of the outer planets. Again, adjust the orbits to be face-on in the plane of the screen and zoom to about 70°. How do the orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune compare in ellipticity to those of the four inner planets? Are the orbits of the outer planets more like the two nearly-circular inner planets or the two less-circular ones? Run time forward and list the order of orbital periods of the outer planets.