Question

A Jupiter-family comet is defined as having an orbital period of less than 20 Earth years and one that has been modified by close passages with the gas giant.

Construct an explanation for how Hartley 2's orbit could possibly be alteredSupport your explanation with scientific reasoning related to one of Newton's laws

Answer 1

• Imagine that Hartley 2 is initially on a circular orbit around the sun. As Hartley 2 approaches Jupiter, the gravitational pull of Jupiter begins to pull it off its circular orbit. As Hartley 2 gets closer to Jupiter, the gravitational pull becomes stronger and stronger. At some point, the gravitational pull of Jupiter is strong enough to overcome the inertia of Hartley 2 and cause it to change direction. After Hartley 2 passes Jupiter, it will be on a new orbit around the sun.
• The new orbit of Hartley 2 will depend on a number of factors, including the distance of the closest approach to Jupiter and the relative velocities of Hartley 2 and Jupiter. In general, however, close passages with Jupiter tend to make comet orbits more elliptical and more inclined.
• Hartley 2's orbit could be altered by its close passages with Jupiter. The gravitational pull of Jupiter can cause the comet's orbit to change shape, size, or orientation. This is known as a gravitational slingshot. Newton's law of universal gravitation can be used to explain how the gravitational pull of Jupiter can alter the orbit of Hartley 2.