Why do some short-period comets have orbits within the orbit of Jupiter?
A) They were created from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
B) They actually orbit Jupiter rather than the Sun.
C) As they traveled to the inner Solar System from the Kuiper Belt, they suffered a gravitational encounter with Jupiter, which trapped them.
D) As they traveled to the inner Solar System from the Kuiper Belt, they collided with one another and no longer had enough speed to reach the Kuiper Belt again.
E) Most comets formed in the inner Solar System, and migrated outward later.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Some short-period comets have orbits within the orbit of Jupiter because they were influenced by a gravitational encounter with Jupiter as they traveled from the Kuiper Belt, altering their orbits to become shorter and more circular.

Why Do Some Short-Period Comets Have Orbits Within the Orbit