What is the physical reason as to why orbiting objects move slower in aphelion?

Question

a
During aphelion, the object runs into friction with the space dust and gas that it moves through
b
During aphelion, the object is farthest away from the Sun, thus it experiences a lesser force of gravity
c
During aphelion, the object slows down due to gravitational pull from other objects closer than the Sun
d
During aphelion, the object is closer to the galactic center and thus is pulled away to prevent the increasing speed of the orbit

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

b During aphelion, the object is farthest away from the Sun, thus it experiences a lesser force of gravity.

In more detail, according to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, particularly the second law (the law of areas), a planet (or any orbiting object) moves faster when it is closer to the Sun (perihelion) and slower when it is farther away (aphelion). This is because the gravitational force exerted by the Sun on the orbiting object decreases with distance. At aphelion, the object is at its greatest distance from the Sun, which results in a weaker gravitational pull and, therefore, a slower orbital speed.