Question

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Eccentric Orbit Quick Check
3 of 33 of 3 Items
Question
Astronomers discover a new comet that follows a highly elliptical orbit. What is its eccentricity likely to be?(1 point)
Responses

0.0009
0.0009

0.0014
0.0014

0.1500
0.1500

0.9200

Answer 1

In an elliptical orbit, eccentricity (e) is a measure of how much the orbit deviates from being circular. The value of eccentricity ranges from 0 (a perfect circle) to 1 (a parabolic trajectory).

For a highly elliptical orbit (such as that of a comet), the eccentricity is typically close to 1. Among the options provided, the value that indicates a highly elliptical orbit is:

**0.9200**

So the correct response would be 0.9200.