The star S2 orbits Sagittarius A* (the galactic center of the Milky Way) with a period of 15.2 years and a semimajor axis of 950 au. What does Kepler's third law suggest as the total amount of mass inside the orbital radius of S2?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's third law states that the square of the orbital period (T) is proportional to the cube of the semimajor axis (a) of its orbit, T^2 ∝ a^3. Using this law and the given values, the total mass inside the orbit can be calculated, resulting in approximately 3.7 million solar masses.

The Star S2 Orbits Sagittarius A* (The Galactic Center of the Milky