Halley's Comet is in a highly elliptical orbit around the sun. Therefore the orbital speed of Halley's Comet, while traveling around the sun,
A) increases as it nears the Sun.
B) is zero at two points in the orbit.
C) decreases as it nears the Sun.
D) is constant.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Halley's Comet, like all objects in elliptical orbits around the Sun, moves faster when it is closer to the Sun due to the stronger gravitational pull at closer distances. This is in accordance with Kepler's laws of planetary motion, specifically the law of areas, which states that a line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time, leading to faster orbital speeds when the object is closer to the Sun.

Halley's Comet Is in a Highly Elliptical Orbit Around the Sun