The relationship between a planet’s orbital speed and its distance from the Sun is an essential aspect of celestial mechanics. As indicated by the equation, the orbital speed of a planet is inversely proportional to the square root of its distance from the Sun. This means that as the distance increases, the orbital speed decreases.

Jupiter, being significantly farther from the Sun than Earth, experiences a lower gravitational pull relative to its distance. As a result, it travels at a slower orbital speed compared to Earth. While Earth orbits the Sun at a certain speed, Jupiter’s greater distance requires it to move more slowly to maintain a stable orbit.

This slower speed is a characteristic of all outer planets in our solar system, which tend to orbit at lower speeds compared to those closer to the Sun. Consequently, Jupiter’s longer orbital period reflects this slower speed, taking about 11.86 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. Understanding this relationship helps explain the dynamics of planetary motion and the varying characteristics of planets based on their distances from the Sun.

v₀ = √((GMₛᵤₙ)/(r))
or v₀ ∝ 1/√r