According to Kepler's 2nd Law, comets on highly eccentric orbits should rarely be found

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating a statement about where comets on highly eccentric orbits are most likely to be found, we should consider the implications of orbital dynamics under Kepler's laws.
Option 1: 'close to the Sun' — This choice is grounded in the fact that highly eccentric orbits bring the object very close to the Sun at perihelion, where orbital speed is greatest due to gravitational acceleration. Under Kepler's second law (equal areas in equal times), the faster motion near perihelion means the comet sweeps through the region near the Sun in a shorter amount of time, but it still spends a portion of its orbit there. The option effectively emphasizes that there is a notable encounter frequency in the near-Sun region during the orbit, making it a plausible statement about their distribution over time, depending on which aspect of the law one emphasizes (speed near perihelion vs. time spent near perihelion).
Option 2: 'in the milky way galaxy' — This is overly broad and not specific to the orbital mechanics about the Sun. Kepler's laws describe the motion within a star’s gravitational influence, not the large-scale galactic distribution, so this option misapplies the scope of the law.
Option 3: 'far from the Sun' — While a highly eccentric orbit does place the body far from the Sun for a large portion of its orbital period, Kepler's second law does not imply a uniform clustering far away; it only states equal areas are swept in equal times. This option ignores the perihelion dynamics and the time the body spends near aphelion relative to perihelion, making it an incomplete or misleading generalization.
Option 4: 'with any angular momentum' — Kepler's second law applies to any bound orbit under an inverse-square central force, but it does not claim that angular momentum is irrelevant. The angular momentum determines the shape and size of the orbit, and highly eccentric orbits have specific angular momentum values. Saying 'any angular momentum' ignores how orbital geometry governs where the body spends time.
Option 5: 'emitting their own light' — This is a statement about luminosity, not about positional distribution dictated by Keplerian motion. Comets can reflect sunlight or emit outgassing, but Kepler's law concerns orbital paths, not intrinsic brightness. Thus this option misuses the law to make a claim about detectability or emission.

In summary, option 1 ties directly to the key perihelion behavior of highly eccentric orbits under Keplerian dynamics, while the other choices either misapply the law, overgeneralize, or address unrelated physical characteristics. The reasoning hinges on understanding how speed and position vary along an eccentric orbit and how that translates into where the object is most likely to be found over time.

SP25-BL-AST-A100-35413 Chapter 3 Quiz

According to Kepler's 2nd Law, comets on highly eccentric orbits should rarely be found

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SP25-BL-AST-A100-35413 Chapter 3 Quiz

According to Kepler's 2nd Law, comets on highly eccentric orbits should rarely be found

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

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