37. Comet Halley has an orbital perios of 75 years and when it enters the inner

Question

37. Comet Halley has an orbital perios of 75 years and when it enters the inner Solar System, it passes within a few AU of the Sun.

a. Determine the average distance of Comet Halley in AU.

b. Right now, Comet Halley is just about past the orbit of Neptune, which has an average distance from the sun of about 30 AU.  Explain how this is possible given the aberage distance you found from its

Comet Halley has an orbital perios of 75 years and when it enters the inner Solar System, it passes within a few AU of the Sun. a. Determine the average distance of Comet Halley in AU. b. Right now, Comet Halley is just about past the orbit of Neptune, which has an average distance from the sun of about 30 AU. Explain how this is possible given the aberage distance you found from its' orbital period.

Explanation / Answer

(a) Using the simple version of Kepler's third law:

P^2 = a^3 where P = period in years; a = distance in AU.

75^2 = a^3

a = (75^2)^(1/3) = 17.78 AU.

(b) Comets travel slower the further they are from the sun, so it spends longer at the further distance.

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