Final answer:
Gravity is the force that causes an attraction between a comet hurling through space and a nearby planet.
Step-by-step explanation:
The force that causes an attraction between a comet hurling through space and a nearby planet is gravity.
Gravity is a force that acts at a distance and is responsible for the motion of celestial bodies. It is a mutual attraction between any two objects with mass, and it is what keeps the planets in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around the Earth. In the case of a comet and a planet, gravity causes the comet to be pulled towards the planet, leading to a gravitational attraction between them.
The force that causes an attraction between a comet hurling through space and a nearby planet is gravity. This is the same force that causes our weight on Earth, the fall of an apple from a tree, and the orbit of the Moon around our planet. In the context of interplanetary dynamics, a comet approaching a planet can experience gravitational influence, potentially altering its trajectory.
This could result in an impact, an ejection from the solar system, or a perturbed orbit with a shorter period. Notably, gravity is a mutual attraction, and it is responsible for keeping celestial bodies in their orbits, from satellites around the Earth to planets orbiting the Sun and beyond.