Hot Jupiters & Kepler's Laws: Does it Violate?

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SUMMARY

Hot Jupiters do not violate Kepler's laws of planetary motion. The discussion clarifies that while deviations from classical mechanics exist, they are minimal for objects orbiting regular stars. The impact of general relativity (GR) on orbits, such as that of Mercury, is measurable but significantly overshadowed by the gravitational influence of nearby planets like Jupiter. Therefore, the question of whether hot Jupiters violate Kepler's laws is unfounded, as all celestial bodies exhibit some level of deviation from these laws.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Kepler's laws of planetary motion
  • Basic knowledge of general relativity (GR)
  • Familiarity with Newtonian mechanics
  • Concept of gravitational influence in celestial mechanics
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  • Research the effects of general relativity on planetary orbits
  • Study the gravitational interactions between celestial bodies
  • Explore the characteristics and dynamics of hot Jupiters
  • Learn about deviations from classical mechanics in orbital mechanics
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Astronomers, astrophysicists, and students of celestial mechanics seeking to understand the dynamics of hot Jupiters and their relationship with Kepler's laws.

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Do hot Jupiter's violate Kepler's laws?
 
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No, of course not. Why would you think that they do?
 
phyzguy said:
No, of course not. Why would you think that they do?
I'm not really sure about this. Let me ask a similar question: Are Keplars Laws consistent with general relativity at the energy level of hot jupiters? Most hot Jupiters lie far inside of Mercurys orbit, which itself does not follow Newtons laws.
 
I guess it depends on the level of accuracy you are talking about. No object follows Kepler's laws exactly, since there are deviations from simple orbital mechanics, of which GR is only one. That's why I wanted the OP to specify why he thought the hot Jupiters would violate Kepler's laws. Perhaps I should not have said "of course".
 
Just as comparison: While the effect of general relativity on the orbit of Mercury is measurable, the impact of the other planets (mainly Jupiter) is at least 10 times larger. "At least" because there are multiple ways to quantify the impact, with different results.

Nothing follows laws based on classical mechanics exactly, but the deviations are tiny if things orbit regular stars.
 

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