Kepler's second law, which states that as a planet moves around its orbit it sweeps out equal areas in equal times, means that Kepler's second law, which states that as a planet moves around its orbit it sweeps out equal areas in equal times, means that planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets. the period of a planet does not depend on its mass. a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit. a planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. planets have circular orbits.