The Orbit of Hale-Bopp Comet, Discovered in 1995, Is an Ellipse

question 11

Multiple Choice

The orbit of Hale-Bopp comet, discovered in 1995, is an ellipse with eccentricity $0.995$ and one focus at the Sun. The length of its major axis is $366.5 \mathrm { AU }$ . [An astronomical unit (AU) is the mean distance between Earth and the Sun, about 93 million miles.] Find the maximum distance from the comet to the Sun. (The perihelion distance from a planet to the Sun is $a ( 1 - e )$ and the aphelion distance is $a ( 1 + e )$ .) Find the answer in $\mathrm { AU }$ and round to the nearest hundredth.

• A) \(372.58 \mathrm { AU }\)
• B) \(370.58 \mathrm { AU }\)
• C) \(365.58 \mathrm { AU }\)
• D) \(368.58 \mathrm { AU }\)
• E) \(374.58 \mathrm { AU }\)

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Definitions:

Cash Basis

An accounting method where revenues and expenses are recognized only when cash is received or paid, respectively.

Accrual Basis

An accounting method where revenues and expenses are recorded when they are earned or incurred, regardless of when the cash transactions occur.

Income

The money received, especially on a regular basis, for work or through investments.

Depreciation Expense

Segmenting the cost related to a physical asset through its active life.