Loose Leaf For Explorations: Introduction To Astronomy
9th Edition
ISBN: 9781260432145
Author: Thomas T Arny, Stephen E Schneider Professor
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Textbook Question
Chapter 2, Problem 3ETQ
Considering the orbits in figure E1.8, where would Venus and Mercury be when they appear closest together on the sky? What is the name for the alignment when planets are in that position compared to Earth? Would they be easy to see from Earth when closest together? Why?
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
The 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.
The angle between two lines drawn from a point on Earth to two opposite sides of the Moon make an angle of 0.5 degrees.
If you do the same thing for the two opposite ends of Andromeda (as shown above), you find an angle of 5 degrees.
Let's assume Andromeda and the Moon are equally far away from our location on Earth (of course that's wrong, but how are we supposed to know?) -
then how much larger would the diameter of Andromeda be (as indicated by the arrows at the top), compared to the diameter of the Moon?
Pick the answer that's closest to what you get under this hypothetical assumption:
A. Equal Diameter
B. Twice
C. Five times
D. Ten times
A new mystery planet is detected around our Sun. We measure its position relative to the Sun to be 2 AU at perihelion and 6 AU at aphelion. What is the semimajor axis of this planet's orbit (in AU)?
With that information, what is the orbital period of that planet (in years)?
If this planet has the same mass as Earth, how does the average force of gravity on the planet by the Sun compare with the average force of gravity on the Earth by the Sun? Please give a numerical ratio of the forces. (Hint: You can take the semimajor axis to represent the average position of the planets)
6:this is all one question with multiples steps. Thank you
Chapter 2 Solutions
Loose Leaf For Explorations: Introduction To Astronomy
Ch. 2 - (2.1) List some observational evidence that Earth...Ch. 2 - (2.1) What is meant by the phrase angular...Ch. 2 - Prob. 3QFRCh. 2 - Prob. 4QFRCh. 2 - Where on the celestial sphere would you look for...Ch. 2 - Sketch the path on the sky that a planet makes...Ch. 2 - Will a planet in retrograde motion rise in the...Ch. 2 - Contrast the geocentric and heliocentric models.Ch. 2 - What are the three laws of planetary motion?Ch. 2 - How does astrology differ from astronomy?
Ch. 2 - Describe the major astronomical contribution(s) of...Ch. 2 - (2.1) Explain why the Moons angular size is...Ch. 2 - (2.1) Suppose the stars were very much closer than...Ch. 2 - (2.2/2.3) Tycho argued that the Sun orbits Earth...Ch. 2 - Prob. 4TQCh. 2 - Prob. 5TQCh. 2 - You may have noticed that although every 10 years...Ch. 2 - Describe how modern astrophysics differs from...Ch. 2 - Prob. 8TQCh. 2 - A small probe is exploring a spherical asteroid....Ch. 2 - Prob. 2PCh. 2 - Prob. 3PCh. 2 - Prob. 4PCh. 2 - Suppose a planet is found with an orbital period...Ch. 2 - Prob. 6PCh. 2 - Prob. 7PCh. 2 - Suppose that future observations with a new...Ch. 2 - Prob. 1TYCh. 2 - A planet in retrograde motion (a) rises in the...Ch. 2 - Ockhams razor refers to (a) a device used by the...Ch. 2 - Prob. 4TYCh. 2 - Prob. 5TYCh. 2 - Galileo used his observations of the changing...Ch. 2 - A major objection to the heliocentric model not...Ch. 2 - Do we see the same constellations today as ancient...Ch. 2 - What are right ascension and declination?Ch. 2 - Prob. 3EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 4EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 5EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 6EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 7EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 8EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 9EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 10EQFRCh. 2 - Prob. 1ETQCh. 2 - Prob. 2ETQCh. 2 - Considering the orbits in figure E1.8, where would...Ch. 2 - Prob. 4ETQCh. 2 - Prob. 1ETYCh. 2 - As a star rises and moves across the sky, which of...Ch. 2 - Prob. 3ETYCh. 2 - Prob. 4ETYCh. 2 - Prob. 5ETYCh. 2 - Prob. 6ETYCh. 2 - Prob. 7ETY
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
- EAn astronaut arrives on the planet Oceania and climbs to the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. The astronaut's eye is 100 m above the sea level and he observes that the horizon in all directions appears to be at angle of 5 mrad below the local horizontal. What is the radius of the planet Oceania at sea level? How far away is the horizon from the astronaut? 6000 km and 50 km 3600 km and 20 km 2000 km and 40 km 8000 km and 40 kmarrow_forwardA planet's speed in orbit is given by V = (30 km/s)[(2/r)-(1/a)]0.5 where V is the planet's velocity, r is the distance in AU's from the Sun at that instant, and a is the semimajor axis of its orbit. Calculate the Earth's velocity in its orbit (assume it is circular): What is the velocity of Mars at a distance of 1.41 AU from the Sun? What is the spacecraft's velocity when it is 1 AU from the Sun (after launch from the Earth)? What additional velocity does the launch burn have to give to the spacecraft? (i.e. What is the difference between the Earth's velocity and the velocity the spacecraft needs to have?) How fast will the spacecraft be traveling when it reaches Mars? Does the spacecraft need to gain or lose velocity to go into the same orbit as Mars?arrow_forwardKepler's 1st law says that our Solar System's planets orbit in ellipses around the Sun where the closest distance to the Sun is called perihelion. Suppose I tell you that there is a planet with a perihelion distance of 2 AU and a semi-major axis of 1.5 AU. Does this make physical sense? Explain why or why not.arrow_forward
- How Do We Know? Why is it important that a theory make testable predictions?arrow_forwardSuppose you are on a strange planet and observe, at night, that the stars do not rise and set, but circle parallel to the horizon. Next, you walk in a constant direction for 8000 miles, and at your new location on the planet, you find that all stars rise straight up in the east and set straight down in the west, perpendicular to the horizon. How could you determine the circumference of the planet without any further observations? What is the circumference, in miles, of the planet?arrow_forwardFrom a distance of 300 km above the surface of the Moon, what is the angular diameter in arc seconds of an astronaut in a space suit who has a linear diameter of 0.80 m as seen from above?arrow_forward
- As 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_forwardA planet (in another galaxy) takes 5 000 Earth days to complete one full revolution around its own star (not the Sun). It is exactly as far away from its star as Earth is to its own Sun. Draw a FBD, then determine how many times more or less massive this star is than our sun (in other words, give a factor of mass, e.g “5x larger” or “5x smaller”)arrow_forwardMars is 1.5 times as far away from the Sun as Earth. Earth’s axis is tilted at 23.5o compared to the ecliptic. The axis of Mars is tilted at 25o compared to the ecliptic. The atmosphere on Earth is 100 times as thick as the atmosphere on Mars. Which of the following statements is true? 1.)Mars is so cold that the water there is ice, while Earth does not have any ice 2.)When it is summer in Earth’s northern hemisphere, it is winter on Mars’ southern hemisphere 3.) Earth has seasons, Mars does not 4.) All of the water on Mars is frozen, while Earth has water in solid, liquid and gas formarrow_forward
- Sam is an astronomer on planet Hua, which orbits the distant star Barnard. It has recently been accepted that Hua is spherical in shape, although its exact size is unknown. While studying in the library, in the city of Joy, Sam learns that during equinox, Barnard is directly overhead in the city of Bar, located 1500.0 km north of his location. On the equinox, Sam goes outside and measures the altitude of Barnard at 83 degrees. What is the radius of Hua in km?arrow_forwardI'm having trouble completing the problem I've attached a picture of below. I was able to find the the Earth's average speed in m/s relative to the sun by doing (2pi*(1.49x10^11))/31536000. But I am struggling to find the average velocity for the same thing over a period of one year in m/s. I was wondering how to calculate that? I've tried doing the (final velocity-initial velocity)/2 but the program doesn't accept my answer when using that approach.arrow_forwardMercury's orbit ranges from 46 to 70 million km from the Sun, while Earth orbits at about 150 million km. a. The Sun has a 30-arc-minute diameter viewed from Earth; what range of sizes does it have when viewed from Mercury? When Mercury is 46 million km from the Sun, the Sun has a diameter of When Mercury is 70 million km from the Sun, the Sun has a diameter of arc-minutes. arc-minutes. b. At Mercury's orbital extremes, how many times stronger is the Sun's radiation on Mercury than on Earth? At 46 million km, the Sun's radiation is times stronger than on Earth. At 70 million km, the Sun's radiation is times stronger than on Earth.arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage LearningFoundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Stars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningAstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStax
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399944
Author:Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax
Kepler's Three Laws Explained; Author: PhysicsHigh;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyR6EO_RMKE;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY