Comets have highly eccentric orbits, with eccentricities of 0.95-0.99 being common. Suppose a certain comet has an eccentricity of 0.99. If the semimajor axis of its orbit is 2,500 AU, what will be its distance at perihelion and at aphelion? Is this most likely a Kuiper Belt object or an Oort Cloud comet? (Note: For an ellipse, a(1+e) is the distance from one focus to the farther edge of the long axis and a(1 - e) is the distance from the same focus to the closer edge of the long axis.)

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The Answer of Comets have highly eccentric orbits, with eccentricities of 0.95-0.99 being common. Suppose a certain comet has an eccentricity of 0.99. If the semimajor axis of its orbit is 2,500 AU, what will be its distance at perihelion and at aphelion? Is this most likely a Kuiper Belt object or an Oort Cloud comet? (Note: For an ellipse, a(1+e) is the distance from one focus to the farther edge of the long axis and a(1 - e) is the distance from the same focus to the closer edge of the long axis.)

Comets Have Highly Eccentric Orbits, with Eccentricities of 0