Question

The path of Halley’s comet in its orbit around the Sun is_________.
a)Parabolic
b)Hyperbolic
c)Elliptical
d)Circular

Answer 1

Hint:Cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust that hit the sun are called comets. These are icy bodies and when they pass near the Sun they release gases and glow.

Complete Answer:Halley’s comet is one of the most famous comets. It is a periodic comet that comes near earth every 75years. It is a very dark comet with 15km by 8km dimensions.
Orbit is the fixed path on which it travels around the Sun.
Before understanding the orbits path, it would be helpful to understand the concept of eccentricity. Eccentricity is a measure which tells us how much a curve or a conic section is un-circular. A circle has eccentricity of 0.

Now, let us look at the options given to us
Option A- Parabolic orbit has an eccentricity of 1 and is an open orbit.
Option B- Hyperbolic orbit has eccentricity of more than 1 and the orbiting object has enough speed to escape the central body’s gravitational pull.
Option C- Elliptical orbit is an orbit which has eccentricity less than 1. Halley’s comet has an elliptical orbit.
Option D- Circular orbit is an orbit with eccentricity of 0.

Therefore the correct answer is option C.

Note:Halley’s comet is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley who correctly predicted that this is a periodic or returning comet. This comet would be next seen in the year 2061.