What does it mean when the orbital eccentricity of a planet is close to 1?(1 point) Responses Its orbit is not closed around a fixed point Its orbit is not closed around a fixed point its orbit is close to another planet's. its orbit is close to another planet's. its orbit is a highly elongated ellipsis. its orbit is a highly elongated ellipsis. Its orbit crosses over the orbit of another planet.
Its orbit is a highly elongated ellipse.
Astronomers discover a new comet that follows a highly elliptical orbit. What is its eccentricity likely to be?(1 point) Responses 0.0009 0.0009 0.1500 0.1500 0.9200 0.9200 0.0014
The eccentricity of a comet with a highly elliptical orbit is likely to be high, with a value close to 0.9200.
Venus has the smallest orbital eccentricity of any of the planets. What is the eccentricity of Venus?(1 point) Responses 0.0000 0.0000 0.0068 0.0068 0.8040 0.8040 1.0300
The eccentricity of Venus is 0.0068.
When the orbital eccentricity of a planet is close to 1, it means that its orbit is a highly elongated ellipse.
When the orbital eccentricity of a planet is close to 1, it means that its orbit is a highly elongated ellipse. To understand this concept, we first need to understand what orbital eccentricity is.
Orbital eccentricity is a measure of how elliptical (or elongated) an orbit is. It ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 representing a perfectly circular orbit and 1 representing a highly elongated orbit. An eccentricity close to 1 means that the orbit is stretched out, similar to an elongated ellipse.
So, when the orbital eccentricity of a planet is close to 1, it means that its orbit is not closed around a fixed point. Unlike a circular orbit, which stays at a constant distance from the central body, a highly elliptical orbit can cause the planet to vary in distance from its central body throughout its orbit. In extreme cases, the planet's orbit may even cross over or come close to another planet's orbit, but this is not always the case.
In summary, a planet having an orbital eccentricity close to 1 indicates that its orbit is a highly elongated ellipse, which means its distance from the central body varies significantly throughout its orbit.