78 8. 75 FIGURE 7.7. 17. A closer look at Halley's perihelion passage after about 76 years Your O...
78 8. 75 FIGURE 7.7. 17. A closer look at Halley's perihelion passage after about 76 years Your Own Comet The night before your birthday in 2007 you set up your telescope on a ne taintop. It was a clear night, and you had a stroke of luck: At 12:30 spotted a new comet. After repeating the observation on successive were able to calculate its solar system coordinates po vector vo (Uxo. Uyo. Uco) on that first night. Using this info mou M.90 essive nights, you you (xo, yo, Zo yo. 2o) and its velo Oci following: the comet's perihelion (point nearest the sun) and aphelion (point farthes the sun). the comet's velocity at perihelion and at aphelion, the comet's period of revolution around the sun, and the comet's next two dates of perihelion passage. Using units of length in AU and time in earth years, the equations of of your comet are given in (4). For your personal comet, begin with random ition and velocity vectors with the same order of magnitude as those of Halley' comet. Repeat the random selection of initial position and velocity vectors, if nec essary, until you get a plausible eccentric orbit that ranges well outside the earth's orbit (as most real comets do).
78 8. 75 FIGURE 7.7. 17. A closer look at Halley's perihelion passage after about 76 years Your Own Comet The night before your birthday in 2007 you set up your telescope on a ne taintop. It was a clear night, and you had a stroke of luck: At 12:30 spotted a new comet. After repeating the observation on successive were able to calculate its solar system coordinates po vector vo (Uxo. Uyo. Uco) on that first night. Using this info mou M.90 essive nights, you you (xo, yo, Zo yo. 2o) and its velo Oci following: the comet's perihelion (point nearest the sun) and aphelion (point farthes the sun). the comet's velocity at perihelion and at aphelion, the comet's period of revolution around the sun, and the comet's next two dates of perihelion passage. Using units of length in AU and time in earth years, the equations of of your comet are given in (4). For your personal comet, begin with random ition and velocity vectors with the same order of magnitude as those of Halley' comet. Repeat the random selection of initial position and velocity vectors, if nec essary, until you get a plausible eccentric orbit that ranges well outside the earth's orbit (as most real comets do).