In the previous lab, we calculated the area in between Mars' and Jupiter's orbit to be ~1.6e18 km2. Since there are roughly 750,000 asteroids, how much area (in km2) is available for one asteroid? Use this calculation to argue whether you are likely (or not) to hit an asteroid while flying through the asteroid belt. (Hint: To answer the first part of the question, find the area per asteroid)

In the previous lab, we calculated the area in between Mars' and Jupiter's orbit to be ~1.6e18 km2. Since there are roughly 750,000 asteroids, how much area (in km2) is available for one asteroid? Use this calculation to argue whether you are likely (or not) to hit an asteroid while flying through the asteroid belt. (Hint: To answer the first part of the question, find the area per asteroid)

Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)

14th Edition

ISBN:9781337399920

Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman

Publisher:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman

Chapter24: Meteorites, Asteroids, And Comets

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 8P: What is the maximum angular diameter of the dwarf planet Ceres when it is closest to Earth? Could...

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What is the smallest-diameter crater you can identify in the photo of Mercury in Figure 2 of the Concept Art: Terrestrial and Jovian Planets? (Hint: See Appendix Table A-10, Properties of the Planets, to find the radius of Mercury in kilometers for scale.)
the area in between Mars' and Jupiter's orbit to be ~1.6e18 km2. Since there are roughly 750,000 asteroids, how much area (in km2) is available for one asteroid? Use this calculation to argue whether you are likely (or not) to hit an asteroid while flying through the asteroid belt. (Hint: To answer the first part of the question, find the area per asteroid)
Look at the map of the Hawaiian chain of islands on the right-hand page of the Concept Art: Volcanoes. Which island formed most recently? How do you know? Is the newly formed volcano of a type found on Venus, on Mars, on both planets, or on neither?
Does Marss surface experience any meteorite impacts today? How do you know?
We believe that chains of comet fragments like Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9’s have collided not only with the jovian planets, but occasionally with their moons. What sort of features would you look for on the outer planet moons to find evidence of such collisions? (As an extra bonus, can you find any images of such features on a moon like Callisto? You can use an online site of planetary images, such as the Planetary Photojournal, at photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov.)
What is the maximum angular diameter of the dwarf planet Ceres when it is closest to Earth? Could Earth-based telescopes detect surface features? Could the Hubble Space Telescope? (Hint: Use the small-angle formula, Eq. 3-1.) (Notes: Ceress average distance from the Sun is 2.8 AU and its diameter is 950 km. The best angular resolution of Earth-based telescopes at visual wavelengths is about 1 arc second and of Hubble about 0.1 arc second.)
Would you expect as many impact craters per unit area on the surface of Venus as on the surface of Mars? Why or why not?
Explain why the planet Venus is differentiated, but asteroid Fraknoi, a very boring and small member of the asteroid belt, is not.
If Jupiter had a satellite the size of our own Moon orbiting outside the orbit of Callisto, what would you predict for the satellites density and surface features?
If you piloted a spacecraft to visit Saturns moons and wanted to land on a geologically old surface, what moon would you choose? Why?
Earlier in this chapter, we modeled the solar system with Earth at a distance of about one city block from the Sun. If you were to make a model of the distances in the solar system to match your height, with the Sun at the top of your head and Pluto at your feet, which planet would be near your waist? How far down would the zone of the terrestrial planets reach?