- #1
Albertgauss
Gold Member
- 294
- 37
- Homework Statement
- A comet has a speed of 300 km/sec at a distance to the sun of 100 million kilometers. What is the Comet's speed when it is at the orbit of Jupiter?
- Relevant Equations
- Conservation of Energy for planets
Hi all,
I just want someone to double-check my calculation. Using some typical values of a comet, if the comet has a speed of 300 km/sec when it is 100 million kilometers from the sun, how fast is the comet moving when it hits the radius of Jupiter from the sun (5 Au)?
I think I did everything right, conserving energy for planets, but the result I got was surprising: the comet's speed barely changes when it is at the orbit of the Jupiter from the sun, and thus, is very constant for the inner planets. I attached a jpeg of what I did. Is everything correct I did I do something wrong? I guess 5 Au is not nearly as much for a comet as I thought it would be.
I just want someone to double-check my calculation. Using some typical values of a comet, if the comet has a speed of 300 km/sec when it is 100 million kilometers from the sun, how fast is the comet moving when it hits the radius of Jupiter from the sun (5 Au)?
I think I did everything right, conserving energy for planets, but the result I got was surprising: the comet's speed barely changes when it is at the orbit of the Jupiter from the sun, and thus, is very constant for the inner planets. I attached a jpeg of what I did. Is everything correct I did I do something wrong? I guess 5 Au is not nearly as much for a comet as I thought it would be.