GK
THE UNIVERSE
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Which of the following statements about Halley’s comet is correct?
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The mass is 3.4×1014kg.
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The semi-major axis is 15.843 AU.
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It can be seen from the earth every 75-76 years.
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The eccentricity is 0.96714
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Explanation:
Detailed explanation-1: -Sounds pretty close to Comet Halley’s 76 year period, doesn’t it? For part b), we need to calculate the eccentricity, which can be expressed as: eccentricity = f/a.
Detailed explanation-2: -Halley’s Comet has a highly elliptical orbit with eccentricity of 0.96714. Eccentricity values range from 0 (perfect circle) to 1 (parabolic), so it is not far from an “escape orbit” where it would not return.
There is 1 question to complete.