Question

A scientist observes a comet that has comes from beyond Neptune and takes less than 200 years to orbit the Sun. Where can a scientist surmise that this comet MOST likely came from?

Answer 1

Based on the information provided, the scientist can surmise that the comet most likely originated from the Kuiper Belt, a region of the outer solar system beyond Neptune that is home to many icy bodies, including comets. Comets with orbits of less than 200 years are considered short-period comets, and these are typically believed to originate from the Kuiper Belt rather than the Oort Cloud, another region beyond Neptune where long-period comets originate.