Understanding Our Universe
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9780393614428
Author: PALEN, Stacy, Kay, Laura, Blumenthal, George (george Ray)
Publisher: W.w. Norton & Company,
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Chapter 4, Problem 45QAP
To determine
The size of the smallest objects that can be detected by MRO.
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What will be the minimum size of a Martian surface feature resolvable during the 2003 opposition by an Earth-based telescope with an angular resolution of 0.05"?
The smallest detail visible through a Earth-based telescope is about 1.00 arcsecond in diameter. Use the small angle formula to determine to the right number of significant figures the size of the object in meters this would represent on Mars as it is at the closest distance from Earth. (??????? ???????? (arc−seconds)2.06×105=?????? ??????????????? ; ???−????????????−????=5.46×105 ??).
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Chapter 4 Solutions
Understanding Our Universe
Ch. 4.1 - Prob. 4.1CYUCh. 4.2 - Prob. 4.2CYUCh. 4.3 - Prob. 4.3CYUCh. 4 - Prob. 1QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 2QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 3QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 4QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 5QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 6QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 7QAP
Ch. 4 - Prob. 8QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 9QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 10QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 11QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 12QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 13QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 14QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 15QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 16QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 17QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 18QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 19QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 20QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 21QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 22QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 23QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 24QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 25QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 26QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 27QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 28QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 29QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 30QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 31QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 32QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 33QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 34QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 35QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 36QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 37QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 38QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 39QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 40QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 41QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 42QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 43QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 44QAPCh. 4 - Prob. 45QAP
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- At an average opposition, the Earth and Mars are separated by 0.52 AU. Suppose an astronomer observes Mars at opposition and that seeing blurs the images to a resolution of 1.0 seconds of arc. What is the smallest surface feature the astronomer would be able to resolve on Mars? How does this size compare with the diameter of Mars?arrow_forwardWhen Mars is 90 million km (9 x 10^10 m) from Earth, a) How long would it take for a radio wave from a video camera mounted on the back of a Mars Rover to tell ground control on earth that the Rover is about to go over a cliff? b) How long would it take for a radio signal from Earth to reach the Rover saying "STOP". c) Why do our Mars Rovers have to be "intelligent" enough to figure out how to deal with obstacles themselves?arrow_forwardA small light source located 1 mm in front of a 1-m2m2 opening illuminates a wall behind. If the wall is 1 mm behind the opening (2 mm from the light source), the illuminated area covers 4 m2m2. How many square meters are illuminated if the wall is 3 mm from the light source? 5 mm? 10 mm?arrow_forward
- Large telescopes often have small fields of view, i.e. it can only see a very small corner of the sky. For example, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera has a field of view that is roughly square and about 0.055 degree on a side. How do I Calculate the angular area of the HST's field of view in square degrees?arrow_forwardThe unaided human eye has a resolution of about 100 arc seconds in bright lighting conditions. Could someone looking out the command module window have seen the astronauts on the Moon yes or no?arrow_forwardWhen Mars is 90 million km from Earth, a) How long would it take for a radio wave from a video camera mounted on the back of a Mars Rover to tell ground control on earth that the Rover is about to go over a cliff? b) How long would it take for a radio signal from Earth to reach the Rover saying "STOP". c) Why do our Mars Rovers have to be "intelligent" enough to figure out how to deal with obstacles themselves?arrow_forward
- If Mars is 1.5x108 km from Earth, how long does it take radio signals from the Curiosity rover to reach us? (the speed of light is about 3x105 km/sec)arrow_forwardThe spacecraft that have landed on Mars send their information to the Earth via radio waves. How long do these waves take to reach the Earth when (a) Mars is at its closest to the Earth? (b) Mars is farthest from the Earth? This time delay is important for NASA when it sends a spacecraft to Mars.arrow_forwardSuppose you send a probe to land on Mercury, and the probe transmits radio signals to earth at a wavelength of 52.0000 cm. You listen for the probe when Mercury is moving away from Earth at its full orbital velocity of 48 km/s around the Sun. What wavelength (in cm) would you have to tune your radio telescope to detect that signal? Use the doppler shift formula Note: the speed of light is 3.0 ✕ 105 km/s. Give your answer to at least four decimal places.)arrow_forward
- The angular separation in degrees of two objects is (physical separation × 360°) / (2 π × distance). If an individual was observing our solar system from Castor at a distance of 7.6 light years. What angular resolution, in arcsecond, is needed to resolve the Sun-Jupiter system (5.46 AU) as distinct points of light?arrow_forwardSometime around 2022, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory hope to begin using the E-ELT(European Extremely Large Telescope), which is planned to have a primary mirror 42 m in diameter. Let us assume that the light it focuses has a wavelength of 550 nm. (1 light-year = 9.461×10^15 m) Note: Jupiter's Diameter dj=1.43×10^8 m 1)What is the most distant Jupiter-sized planet the telescope could resolve, assuming it operates at the diffraction limit? (Express your answer to two significant figures.) 2)What is the most distant Jupiter-sized planet the telescope could resolve, assuming it operates at the diffraction limit? (Express your answer to two significant figures.) 3)The nearest known exoplanets (planets beyond the solar system) are around 20 light-years away. What would have to be the minimum diameter of an optical telescope to resolve a Jupiter-sized planet at that distance using light of wavelength 550 nm? (Express your answer to two significant figures.)arrow_forwardA small hole in the wing of a space shuttle requires a 20.7-cm2 patch. (a) What is the patch’s area in square kilometers (km2)? (b) If the patching material costs NASA $3.25/in2, what is the cost of the patch?arrow_forward
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