ssume that there are a million asteroids 1 kilometer across or larger in the steroid belt. For both questions, assume that all the asteroids are perfectly pherical.I a. If a million asteroids 1-kilometer across were all combined into one spherical object, how big would it be across? b. How many 1-kilometer diameter asteroids would it take to make an object as large as the Earth?

ssume that there are a million asteroids 1 kilometer across or larger in the steroid belt. For both questions, assume that all the asteroids are perfectly pherical.I a. If a million asteroids 1-kilometer across were all combined into one spherical object, how big would it be across? b. How many 1-kilometer diameter asteroids would it take to make an object as large as the Earth?

The Solar System

10th Edition

ISBN:9781337672252

Author:The Solar System

Publisher:The Solar System

Chapter16: Meteorites, Asteroids And Comets

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 4P

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The mass of the asteroids is found mostly in the larger asteroids, so to estimate the total mass we need to consider only the larger objects. Suppose the three largest asteroids-Ceres (1000 km in diameter), Pallas (500 km in diameter), and Vesta (500 km in diameter)-account for half the total mass. Assume that each of these three asteroids has a density of 3 g/cm3 and calculate their total mass. Multiply your result by 2 to obtain an estimate for the mass of the total asteroid belt. How does this compare with the mass of the Oort cloud?
The Tunguska asteroid is estimated to have had a diameter of 50 m, and to have produced an explosion equivalent to 10 megatons of TNT (1 megaton = 4.2 x 1015 joules). Assume that the asteroid was a sphere with density 2 g/cm3. Using the kinetic energy formula K = ½ mv2, where m is the mass and v is the speed, to estimate the speed of the asteroid. Assume that all kinetic energy is converted into the energy of the explosion. Give your answer in km/s with one significant figure.
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)
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Look at Figure 24-2d. Identify the chondrules by color. What is the black material? Figure 24-2 The three main types of meteorites(a) iron meteorites, (b) stony-iron meteorites, and (c) stony Meteoritesare easily distinguished. (d) Carbonaceous chondrites are rare stony meteorites that are rich in carbon, making them very dark.
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We have a lot of good images of the large moons of Jupiter and Saturn from the Galileo and Cassini spacecraft missions (check out NASA’s Planetary Photojournal site, at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov, to see the variety). Now that the New Horizons mission has gone to Pluto, why don’t we have as many good images of all sides of Pluto and Charon?