Suppose we discover a comet whose orbit was very highly eccentric,retrograde,had a very large tilt with respect to the ecliptic plane,and a period of 2,000 years.Where is the most likely place of origin for this comet?
A) The Kuiper Belt
B) The Oort Cloud
C) The Jovian family
D) Outside the Solar System

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A comet with a highly eccentric, retrograde orbit and a large tilt with respect to the ecliptic plane is likely to have come from the Oort Cloud, a distant spherical shell of icy objects that surrounds the solar system. The long period of 2,000 years also suggests that it has a far-reaching orbit that extends beyond the Kuiper Belt and possibly the Jovian family of comets. Therefore, the most likely place of origin for this comet is the Oort Cloud.

Suppose We Discover a Comet Whose Orbit Was Very Highly