Orbital Eccentricity Study of Planets: A Comparative Analysis of Manual Simulation and Digital Visualization

Understanding planetary orbits is a fundamental concept in astronomy. Many secondary school students encounter difficulties comprehending the shape and characteristics of orbits, which are not perfect circles but ellipses with varying degrees of eccentricity. These challenges are particularly evident when students are tasked with sketching or calculating the eccentricity of a planet's orbit, a measure of how elongated the orbit is. This study aims to explore and compare the efficacy of two pedagogical approaches manual simulation and digital simulation—in enhancing students' understanding of planetary orbit shapes and the concept of eccentricity. A descriptive-comparative research design is employed to depict and contrast the effectiveness of these two teaching methods. The experiment, crafted based on expert design, involves four qualified astronomy educators to apply both approaches. The manual simulation requires students to draw orbits and compute eccentricity manually, whereas the digital simulation leverages software to visualize the motion of planetary orbits. Evaluation is conducted through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with four subject matter experts to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the two methods, the challenges faced by students, and the level of comprehension achieved. The results from the manual experiment indicate that the orbital eccentricity ranges between 0.2 and 0.4, suggesting that the planets' orbits are elliptical. These findings align with Kepler’s laws, which state that planetary orbits are elliptical, with the Sun at one of the foci. Results from the NASA Eyes application further corroborate this, showing that the orbits of planets in the solar system are indeed elliptical, both at perihelion (the point closest to the Sun) and aphelion (the end farthest from the Sun). In conclusion, this research substantiates that the orbits of planets in the solar system are elliptical, consistent with Kepler's laws.