Suppose a comet orbits the Sun on a highly eccentric orbit with an average (semimajor axis) distance of 1 AU. How long does it take to complete each orbit, and how do we know?
A. One year, which we know from Kepler's third law.
B. It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's second law.
C. It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's first law.
D. Each orbit should take about 2 years, because the eccentricity is so large.
Answer:A
Suppose a comet orbits the Sun on a highly eccentric orbit with an average (semimajor axis) distance of 1 AU. How long does it take to complete each orbit, and how do we know?
A. One year, which we know from Kepler's third law. B. It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's second law. C. It depends on the eccentricity of the orbit, as described by Kepler's first law. D. Each orbit should take about 2 years, because the eccentricity is so large.