Hyperbolic Orbit (Solar-System Origin)
An orbit with eccentricity just above 1, produced when a Solar-System comet is perturbed by a planet (usually Jupiter) onto an escape trajectory. The object is leaving the Solar System, but it formed here — the small excess over e = 1 is a slingshot effect, not evidence of an interstellar origin.
Definition
Eccentricity slightly above 1 from planetary perturbation — an ejected Solar-System body.
The eccentricity ladder
Orbits run from bound and elliptical, through the parabolic boundary, to the strongly hyperbolic trajectories of interstellar objects.
Objects on this trajectory
- C/1980 E1 (Bowell)Hyperbolic (Solar-System origin)Weakly hyperbolic (e ≈ 1.06) after a Jupiter encounter
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.