The orbit of comet Hale-Bopp is an ellipse as shown below. The units are astronomical units (abbreviated AU). 1 AU ≈ 92,960,000 mi.

Question

(a) Find an equation in standard form of the orbit of the comet. (Enter your answer in terms of AU.)



(b) The distance from the center, C, of the orbit to the sun is approximately 182.085 AU. Find the aphelion (the point at which the comet is farthest from the sun) in miles. Round to the nearest million miles.
mi

(c) Find the perihelion (the point at which the comet is closest to the sun) in miles. Round to the nearest hundred-thousand miles.
mi