ANSWERED One of the brightest comets of the 20th century was Comet Hyakutake, wh

Question

ANSWERED

One of the brightest comets of the 20th century was Comet Hyakutake, which passed close to the sun in early 1996. The orbital period of this comet is estimated to be about 30000 years. a) Find the semi-major axis of this comet's orbit. Express your answer using two significant figures. (1.4x10^14) b)Compare it to the average sun-Pluto distance. Express your answer using two significant figures. (24) c) Compare it to the distance to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to the sun, which is 4.3 light-years distant. Express your answer using two significant figures. (3.4x10^-3)

Explanation / Answer

Solution: Given

The orbital period of this comet is estimated to be about 30000 years.

a) Find the semi-major axis of this comet's orbit.

   r = semi major axis 2184.05 AU
1 AU = 149,597,870,691 ± 30 m

b)Compare it to the average sun-Pluto distance

Sun Pluto distance = 5.9 x10^12 m

C) Compare it to the distance to Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri
Distance of Alpha Centauri = 4.3 light year
=41 x 10^15 m

r /r Alpha Centauri = 1.94e+16

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