Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Chapter 13, Problem 18E
Suppose a comet were discovered approaching the Sun, one whose orbit would cause it to collide with Earth 20 months later, after perihelion passage. (This is approximately the situation described in the science-fiction novel Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.) What could we do? Would there be any way to protect ourselves from a catastrophe?
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Chapter 13 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 13 - Why are asteroids and comets important to our...Ch. 13 - Give a brief description of the asteroid belt.Ch. 13 - Describe the main differences between C-type and...Ch. 13 - In addition to the ones mentioned in Exercise...Ch. 13 - Vesta is unusual as it contains what mineral on...Ch. 13 - Compare asteroids of the asteroid belt with...Ch. 13 - Briefly describe NASA’s Spaceguard Survey. How...Ch. 13 - Who first calculated the orbits of comets based on...Ch. 13 - Describe the nucleus of a typical comet and...Ch. 13 - Describe the two types of comet tails and how each...
Ch. 13 - What classification is given to objects such as...Ch. 13 - Describe the origin and eventual fate of the...Ch. 13 - What evidence do we have for the existence of the...Ch. 13 - Give brief descriptions of both the Kuiper belt...Ch. 13 - Give at least two reasons today’s astronomers are...Ch. 13 - Suppose you were designing a spacecraft that would...Ch. 13 - Suppose you were designing a spacecraft that would...Ch. 13 - Suppose a comet were discovered approaching the...Ch. 13 - We believe that chains of comet fragments like...Ch. 13 - Why have we found so many objects in the Kuiper...Ch. 13 - Why is it hard to give exact diameters for even...Ch. 13 - Refer to Example 13.1. How would the calculation...Ch. 13 - Refer to Example 13.1. How would the calculation...Ch. 13 - The calculation in Example 13.1 refers to the...Ch. 13 - If the Oort cloud contains 1012 comets, and ten...Ch. 13 - The mass of the asteroids is found mostly in the...Ch. 13 - Make a similar estimate for the mass of the Kuiper...Ch. 13 - What is the period of revolution about the Sun for...Ch. 13 - What is the period of revolution for a comet with...
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