Astronomers discover a new comet that follows a highly elliptical orbit. What is its eccentricity likely to be?(1 point)
Responses
0.0014
0.0014
0.0009
0.0009
0.9200
0.9200
0.1500
0.9200
The eccentricity of a comet's orbit can vary widely, from nearly circular (e=0) to highly elongated (e>0). In this case, since the comet is described as following a "highly elliptical orbit," its eccentricity is likely to be high, approaching or exceeding 0.9200. Therefore, the most likely answer is 0.9200.
To determine the likely eccentricity of a comet's highly elliptical orbit, astronomers would typically rely on observations and calculations based on the comet's trajectory. However, since we don't have access to specific observational data for this comet, we can make an educated guess based on typical values for cometary orbits.
Comets are known to have eccentricities that vary widely, ranging from near-zero to almost one. An eccentricity of zero represents a perfectly circular orbit, while an eccentricity of one signifies a highly elongated or parabolic orbit.
Given that the question states that the comet follows a highly elliptical orbit, we can assume that its eccentricity is likely to be relatively high, but still less than one. Among the provided options, the value that falls within this range is 0.9200.
Therefore, the likely eccentricity for this new comet is 0.9200.