An object has recently been discovered orbiting the Sun. The following is known about this object. Images indicate it is about 800 km in diameter, appears to be covered in craters, and has a mostly spherical shape. The object was discovered at 42 AU from the Sun, which was found to be the perihelion of its orbit. The aphelion of its orbit was found to be 330 AU. a) From this information determine the semi-major axis and period of the orbit. b) Classify the object according to the definitions from the 2006 IAU meeting and describe the area of the Solar System from which it comes.
An object has recently been discovered orbiting the Sun. The following is known about this object. Images indicate it is about 800 km in diameter, appears to be covered in craters, and has a mostly spherical shape. The object was discovered at 42 AU from the Sun, which was found to be the perihelion of its orbit. The aphelion of its orbit was found to be 330 AU. a) From this information determine the semi-major axis and period of the orbit. b) Classify the object according to the definitions from the 2006 IAU meeting and describe the area of the Solar System from which it comes.
Related questions
Question
An object has recently been discovered orbiting the Sun. The following is known about this object. Images indicate it is about 800 km in diameter, appears to be covered in craters, and has a mostly spherical shape. The object was discovered at 42 AU from the Sun, which was found to be the perihelion of its orbit. The aphelion of its orbit was found to be 330 AU.
a) From this information determine the semi-major axis and period of the orbit.
b) Classify the object according to the definitions from the 2006 IAU meeting and describe the area of the Solar System from which it comes.
Expert Solution
This question has been solved!
Explore an expertly crafted, step-by-step solution for a thorough understanding of key concepts.
Step by step
Solved in 4 steps
