You observe a star orbiting the massive object at the galactic center at a speed of 1090 km/s in a circular orbit with a radius of 18 light-days. Calculate the mass of the object the star is orbiting. Enter in solar masses   Hint: The orbital velocity equation is v=sqrt(G M / R). Also note that the orbital radius is in light DAYS.

Astronomy
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ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Chapter25: The Milky Way Galaxy
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Problem 25E: The best evidence for a black hole at the center of the Galaxy also comes from the application of...
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    You observe a star orbiting the massive object at the galactic center at a speed of 1090 km/s in a circular orbit with a radius of 18 light-days. Calculate the mass of the object the star is orbiting. Enter in solar masses

 

Hint: The orbital velocity equation is v=sqrt(G M / R). Also note that the orbital radius is in light DAYS.

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