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This is because as they approach the Sun, gravity acts more on them and they speed up. They then have enough momentum to "sling" themselves back out of the solar system. Gravity will slow them down again as they travel away from the Sun and so on it goes.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 6y agoIt's a selection effect. It is related to the fact that comets apparently have their origin in the outer Solar System - far away from us. There, they will have more or less circular orbits, where they might take a million years or so to orbit the Sun once.When they are disturbed in their orbits, some of them will be flung into the inner Solar System - and it is THOSE comets that we actually observe.
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Are comets in circular or elliptical orbits?
Comets do indeed have orbits. Sometimes the orbits take thousands of years. For the most part, they stay in these orbits unless affected by the gravity of another body.
Do comets have highly elliptical orbits around the sun?
Virtually NOTHING in space is in a circular orbit; every body out there is in an elliptical orbit. Some are CLOSE to circular, but I don't believe than any are quite exact. Comets especially are in VERY elliptical orbits. If their orbits were even nearly circular, their ices and volatile gasses would have been evaporated long ago.
Does the orbit is very elliptical?
No the planet's orbits are not VERY elliptical but yes, they are somewhat elliptical. They are not just rotating in a circle. More like an oval.
Do comets orbit around the sun just like planets?
Yes, they do. But their orbits are highly eccentric. That means that their orbit first takes them very close to the Sun and then very far away, making the orbit very elongated. Also, all the planets orbit the Sun in more-or-less the same plane. ie, All the orbits are in line (Picture a disc). The orbit of most comets, on the other hand, are not in the same plane. Check the images in the related links for a better idea on their orbits.
What would happen if Earth and Venus followed elliptical orbits around the sun?
Earth and Venus DO follow elliptical orbits around the sun (though the orbit of Venus is only very slightly elliptical). Earth's orbit being elliptical is, combined with our axial tilt, why we have seasons.
What members of the solar system have very eccentric orbits?
Comets. Periodic comets have highly eccentric elliptical orbits, with eccentricities.
Are comets in circular or elliptical orbits?
Comets do indeed have orbits. Sometimes the orbits take thousands of years. For the most part, they stay in these orbits unless affected by the gravity of another body.
How do the orbits of comets differ from the orbits of most asteroids?
Comets are balls of ice and dust in orbit around the Sun. The orbits of comets are different from those of planets - they are elliptical. A comet's orbit takes it very close to the Sun and then far away again.
Do comets have highly elliptical orbits around the sun?
Virtually NOTHING in space is in a circular orbit; every body out there is in an elliptical orbit. Some are CLOSE to circular, but I don't believe than any are quite exact. Comets especially are in VERY elliptical orbits. If their orbits were even nearly circular, their ices and volatile gasses would have been evaporated long ago.
What type of orbits do comets fallow?
Mostly comets follow elliptical orbits just like the planets, except more elongated (eccentricity higher). A few comets that come from deep space are on hyperbolic orbits and are very fast-moving, they visit once and never come back because they have enough kinetic energy to escape again.
What is true about a comet?
Comets have very elliptical orbits that usually take them far beyond the orbit of Pluto, but also take them closer to the Sun than Earth! Comets are held together by frozen gases(:
What are differences of comets meteoroid's asteroids?
Comets : mostly ice & are often in very distant elliptical orbits. Meteoroids and asteroids are usually rocky and/or metallic, asteroids are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars & Jupiter).
What orbit does a comet have?
Orbits move in very elongated elliptical orbits.
Does the orbit is very elliptical?
No the planet's orbits are not VERY elliptical but yes, they are somewhat elliptical. They are not just rotating in a circle. More like an oval.
Why do some comets return regularly while others are visible only ounce?
Their orbital distance from the sun and the earth's position closest to them when they return in their orbits. Their orbits are elliptical and many have an apogee very far from the sun while others are much closer.
What is a halley's comet orbit like?
All orbits are ellipses. Some orbits, like the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, are almost (but not quite) circular. Other objects, like the Moon or Mars, have orbits that are more distinctly oval shaped.Comets have elliptical orbits with very high eccentricity; they are stretched so that they come quite close to the Sun, but still go dozens or hundreds of AU away. Some comets are less severely eccentric. Halley's Comet, for example, only goes out to about 30AU with a period of 76 years, while Comet Hale-Bopp has a period of closer to 2200 years.
How are comets asteroids and meteorites different?
Asteroids orbit the Sun between the orbits of the planet Mars and the planet Jupiter. Comets orbit the Sun on very elliptical orbits, originating from the Kuiper belt beyond the orbit of Neptune or the Oort cloud at the edges of the solar system. Comets are also usually (but not always) icy bodies that give of gas and dust (a tail) as they approach and get heated by the Sun. Meteorites are bodies that were Asteroids or Comets that have hit the planet Earth and landed on the surface.
