Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781337399920
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Question
Chapter 1, Problem 14RQ
To determine
The importance of studying astronomy.
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
Use Kepler's 3rd Law and the small angle approximation.
a) An object is located in the solar system at a distance from the Sun equal to 41 AU's . What is the objects orbital period?
b) An object seen in a telescope has an angular diameter equivalent to 41 (in units of arc seconds). What is its linear diameter if the object is 250 million km from you? Draw a labeled diagram of this situation.
Perhaps the most fundamental problem in all of astronomy is the determination of distance to the various objects in the cosmos. Which of the following seems least reasonable regarding the various measurement techniques:
Group of answer choices
The Hubble Law relates the recessional speed of distant objects (measured with the Doppler Effect) to distance.
Hubble law is most useful for determining the distance to nearby objects, while parallax is most useful for the more distant objects.
We can determine the position of a star on the H-R diagram through spectral analysis and then figure out the distance by comparing absolute luminosity (from H-R diagram) to apparent brightness.
The distance to nearby stars can be determined by measuring parallax.
The distance to the planets in our solar can be determined by measuring the time for a radar signal to reach a planet, bounce off, and return.
Part 3
1. The diameter of the Sun is 1,391,400 km. The diameter of the Moon is 3,474.8 km. Find
the ratio, r= Dsa/Dsvan between the sizes.
2. From the point of view of an obs erver on Eanth (consider the Earth as a point-like object),
during the eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun exactly. Sketch a picture to illustrate this
fact. Use a nuler to get a straight line. Your drawing does not need to be in scale.
3. The Sun is 1 Astronomical Unit (AU) away from the Earth. Find the distance between the
Earth and the Moon in AU's using the ratio of similar triangles. Show your work.
DEM=
AU.
Convert this to kilometers. Use 1 AU = 149,600,000 km.
DEM =
km.
Chapter 1 Solutions
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 1 - Prob. 1RQCh. 1 - What is the largest dimension of which you have...Ch. 1 - What is the difference between the Solar System,...Ch. 1 - What is the difference between the Moon and a...Ch. 1 - Why do astronomers now label Pluto a dwarf planet?Ch. 1 - Why are light-years more convenient than miles,...Ch. 1 - Why is it difficult to detect planets orbiting...Ch. 1 - Prob. 8RQCh. 1 - What is the difference between the Milky Way and...Ch. 1 - What are the Milky Way Galaxys spiral arms?
Ch. 1 - Prob. 11RQCh. 1 - Where are you in the Universe? If you had to give...Ch. 1 - Prob. 13RQCh. 1 - Prob. 14RQCh. 1 - Prob. 15RQCh. 1 - How do we know? How does the scientific method...Ch. 1 - The equatorial diameter of Earth is 7928 miles. If...Ch. 1 - The equatorial diameter of the Moon is 3476...Ch. 1 - One astronomical unit (AU) is about 1.5 108 km....Ch. 1 - A typical galaxy is shown on the first page of the...Ch. 1 - The time of the Cambrian explosion is listed on...Ch. 1 - Venus orbits 0.72 AU from the Sun. What is that...Ch. 1 - Light from the Sun takes 8 minutes to reach Earth....Ch. 1 - The Sun is almost 400 times farther from Earth...Ch. 1 - If the speed of light is 3.0 105 km/s, how many...Ch. 1 - Prob. 10PCh. 1 - How long does it take light to cross the diameter...Ch. 1 - The nearest galaxy to our home galaxy is about 2.5...Ch. 1 - How many galaxies like our own would it take if...Ch. 1 - Arrange the following in order of increasing size:...Ch. 1 - Prob. 2SOPCh. 1 - The Sun is roughly 100 times the diameter of...Ch. 1 - Prob. 4SOPCh. 1 - Look at the center of Figure 14. Approximately...Ch. 1 - Look at Figure 1-6. How can you tell that Mercury...Ch. 1 - Prob. 3LTLCh. 1 - Look at Figure 1-9. Would you say that the...Ch. 1 - Of the objects listed here, which would be...Ch. 1 - Prob. 6LTL
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- How Do We Know? Why is it important that a theory make testable predictions?arrow_forwardAs we discuss in class, the radius of the Earth is approximately 6370 km. Theradius of the Sun, on the other hand, is approximately 700,000 km. The Sun is located,on average, one astronomical unit (1 au) from the Earth. Imagine that you stand near Mansueto Library, at the corner of 57th and Ellis.Mansueto’s dome is 35 feet (10.7 meters) high. Let’s imagine we put a model of theSun inside the dome, such that it just fits — that is, the model Sun’s diameter is 35 feet The nearest star to the Solar System outside of the Sun is Proxima Centauri,which is approximately 4.2 light years away. Given the scale model outlined above,how far would a model Proxima Centauri be placed from you? Give your answer inmiles and kmarrow_forwardPlease use the data given to answer both parts. Please circle your answers. Thank you I’m advanced!arrow_forward
- On Earth, the parallax angle measured for the star Procyon is 0.29 arcseconds. If you were to measure Procyon's parallax angle from Venus, what would the parallax angle be? (Note: Earth's orbital radius is larger than Venus's orbital radius.) A. more than 0.29 arcseconds O B. 0.29 arcseconds O C. less than 0.29 arcseconds D. zero arcseconds (no parallax)arrow_forward1. A distant galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10 and is 4,000 kpc away. What is its absolute magnitude? (Round your answer to at least one decimal place.) The difference in absolute magnitude between two objects viewed from the same distance is related to their fluxes by the flux-magnitude relation. FA/FB= 2.51(MB − MA) 2. How does the absolute magnitude of this galaxy compare to the Milky Way (M = −21)?arrow_forwardDUE IN 20 MINUTES: Please answer it in GRESA Format (Given, Required, Equation, Solution, and Answer). Please answer it as detailed as possible. I hope you will follow this kind of format in every solution. Equation 1: Solution 1: Answer 1: Equation 2: Equation 2: Answer 2: And so on...arrow_forward
- White Dwarf Size II. The white dwarf, Sirius B, contains 0.98 solar mass, and its density is about 2 x 106 g/cm?. Find the radius of the white dwarf in km to three significant digits. (Hint: Density = mass/volume, and the volume of a 4 sphere is Tr.) 3 km Compare your answer with the radii of the planets listed in the Table A-10. Which planet is this white dwarf is closely equal to in size? I Table A-10 I Properties of the Planets ORBITAL PROPERTIES Semimajor Axis (a) Orbital Period (P) Average Orbital Velocity (km/s) Orbital Inclination Planet (AU) (106 km) (v) (days) Eccentricity to Ecliptic Mercury 0.387 57.9 0.241 88.0 47.9 0.206 7.0° Venus 0.723 108 0.615 224.7 35.0 0.007 3.4° Earth 1.00 150 1.00 365.3 29.8 0.017 Mars 1.52 228 1.88 687.0 24.1 0.093 1.8° Jupiter 5.20 779 11.9 4332 13.1 0.049 1.30 Saturn 9.58 1433 29.5 10,759 9.7 0.056 2.5° 30,799 60,190 Uranus 19.23 2877 84.3 6.8 0.044 0.8° Neptune * By definition. 30.10 4503 164.8 5.4 0.011 1.8° PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (Earth = e)…arrow_forwardAstronomers frequently say that “there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on the earth”. Given that a typical grain of sand is about 0.5 – 1.0 mm in diameter, estimate the number of grains of sand on all the earth’s beaches. The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km. About 1011 About 1016 About 1021.arrow_forwardEarth is about 150 million kilometers from the Sun (1 Astronomical Unit, or AU), and the apparent brightness of the Sun in our sky is about 1300 watts/m^2. Using these two facts and the inverse square law for light, determine the apparent brightness that we would measure for the Sun if we were located at the following positions. b) At the orbit of Jupiter (780 million km from the Sun).arrow_forward
- (If relevant) A clearly labeled diagram (or diagrams) clearly pertaining to your analysis with a coordinate system and relevant labels. Final answer with appropriate units and significant figures. A 2-3 sentence reflection on your answer. Does it make sense? Why or why not? What are some implications? Do not just summarize your solution procedure.arrow_forwardThe nearest star to our sun is Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4.3 light-years from the Sun. A light-year is the distance that light travels in one year (365 days). How far away, in kilometers, is Proxima Centauri from the Sun?Express your answer using two significant figures.arrow_forwardPlease box answers and give me correct answer.arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningStars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Stars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399944
Author:Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning