Eccentric Orbit Quick Check

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Question
Astronomers discover a new comet that follows a highly elliptical orbit. What is its eccentricity likely to be?(1 point)
Responses

0.1500
0.1500

0.9200
0.9200

0.0014
0.0014

0.0009
0.0009
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1 answer

In orbital mechanics, the eccentricity (e) of an orbit describes its shape. An eccentricity of 0 indicates a circular orbit, while values between 0 and 1 indicate elliptical orbits. The closer the eccentricity is to 1, the more elongated the orbit.

For a highly elliptical orbit, the eccentricity is generally closer to 1. Among the options provided:

  • 0.1500: This indicates a relatively low eccentricity, suggesting a somewhat elongated, but not highly elliptical orbit.
  • 0.9200: This value indicates a highly eccentric (elongated) orbit.
  • 0.0014 and 0.0009: These values are very close to 0, indicating almost circular orbits.

Given these explanations, the most likely eccentricity for a highly elliptical orbit would be 0.9200.

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