The passage suggests that two planets formed

The passage suggests that two planets formed in close orbits that engaged in “slingshot activity” (lines 10-11) would be likely to The nearly circular orbits of planets in our solar system led scientists to expect that planets around other stars would also reside in circular orbits. However, most known extrasolar planets reside in highly elongated, not circular, orbits. Why? The best clue comes from comets in our solar system. Comets formed in circular orbits but were gravitationally flung into their present-day elliptical orbits when they ventured too close to planets. Astronomers suspect that pairs of planets also engage in this slingshot activity, leaving them in disturbed, elliptical orbits. If two planets form in close orbits, one will be scattered inward (toward its star), the other outward. They will likely then travel close enough to neighboring planets to disturb their orbits also. Blank: deflect away from each other, change the shape of each other’s orbit, affect the orbits of any neighboring planets

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Chris Lele, Magoosh Tutor

Sep 26, 2012 • Comment

Alima Yes

In what lines does this passage talk about "changing the shape of each others orbit"?

Aug 22, 2017 • Reply

Adam

Hi Alima,

These lines talk about changing the shapes of orbits:

"Comets formed in circular orbits but were gravitationally flung into their present-day elliptical orbits when they ventured too close to planets. Astronomers suspect that pairs of planets also engage in this slingshot activity, leaving them in disturbed, elliptical orbits.

The orbits change from being circular to elliptical.

Aug 24, 2017 • Reply

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The passage suggests that two planets formed

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Section 4: Verbal

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