Question

Astronomers discover a new comet that follows a highly elliptical orbit what is it eccentricity likely to be

Answer 1

If astronomers discover a new comet that follows a highly elliptical orbit, it means that the eccentricity of the comet's orbit is likely to be close to 1. The eccentricity of an orbit determines how elongated or stretched out the orbit is, with an eccentricity of 1 representing a completely elongated orbit (a parabolic or hyperbolic orbit). In such cases, the comet would have a very elongated path, spending most of its time far away from the Sun and occasionally coming very close during its perihelion (closest point to the Sun).