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

0.9200
0.9200

0.1500

1 answer

The eccentricity of an orbiting object can tell us about the shape of its orbit. For a highly elliptical orbit, the eccentricity (e) will be close to 1. Typically:

  • A circular orbit has an eccentricity of 0.
  • An eccentricity between 0 and 1 indicates an elliptical orbit.
  • An eccentricity of 1 indicates a parabolic trajectory.
  • An eccentricity greater than 1 indicates a hyperbolic trajectory.

Given the options provided, the one that suggests a highly elliptical orbit is:

0.9200

This value indicates a highly elongated orbit, which is characteristic of some comets.