Asteroid Fortuna approaches the Earth to a distance of 1.056 AU. e. Its average heliocentric distance is 2.442 AU. e.
September 16, 2020 | Education
| Asteroid Fortuna approaches the Earth to a distance of 1.056 AU. e. Its average heliocentric distance is 2.442 AU. e. Find the eccentricity of the asteroid’s orbit, its perihelion and aphelion distances. Consider the Earth’s orbit as a circle, and neglect the inclination of the asteroid’s orbit.
perihelion rp = 1.056 + 1.0 = 2.056 a. e.
semi-major axis a = 2.442 a. e.
aphelion ra = 2a-rp = 2 * 2.442-2.056 = 2.828 a. e.
eccentricity e = (a-rp) / a = (2.442-2.056) /2.442 = 0.158
