A comet following a parabolic path with the Earth at the focus came within 8 million miles of the Earth. Position the Earth at the origin and the perihelion (closest) point of the orbit on the positive horizontal axis and determine the equation of the parabola. How far is the comet from Earth when it crosses the vertical axis?

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The Answer of A comet following a parabolic path with the Earth at the focus came within 8 million miles of the Earth. Position the Earth at the origin and the perihelion (closest) point of the orbit on the positive horizontal axis and determine the equation of the parabola. How far is the comet from Earth when it crosses the vertical axis?

A Comet Following a Parabolic Path with the Earth at the Focus