Gaussian Gravitational Constant -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics (original) (raw)

The square root of the gravitational constant G, as computed from Kepler's third law

	(1)

where T is the sidereal year expressed in days ( days ), a is the semimajor axis of the Earth 's orbit expressed in astronomical units (a = 1 AU), and M is the mass of the Sun expressed in solar masses (). Solving for gives

	(2)

so

	(3)

Gravitational Constant, Kepler's Third Law, Mean Motion

United States Government Printing Office. The Astronomical Almanac for the Year 1997. Washington, DC: Navy Dept., Naval Observatory, Nautical Almanac Office, p. K7, 1997.

© 1996-2007 Eric W. Weisstein