Suppose a lone asteroid happens to be passing relatively near Jupiter (but not near any of its moons),following a hyperbolic orbit as it approaches Jupiter.Which of the following statements would be true?
A)Jupiter's gravity would capture the asteroid,making it a new moon of Jupiter.
B)The asteroid's orbit around Jupiter would not change,and it would go out on the same hyperbolic orbit that it came in on.
C)Jupiter would probably expel the asteroid far out into the solar system.
D)The asteroid would slowly spiral into Jupiter until it crashed into the atmosphere.
E)Any of these scenarios is possible.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the asteroid's orbit is hyperbolic, it implies that its velocity is greater than the escape velocity of Jupiter. In such a scenario, Jupiter's gravity would affect the asteroid's path, but it would not capture it into an orbit. Instead, the asteroid would continue on its original hyperbolic path, albeit with a slight deviation due to Jupiter's gravity. Hence, option B is the correct choice.

Suppose a Lone Asteroid Happens to Be Passing Relatively near Jupiter