Universe: Stars And Galaxies
6th Edition
ISBN: 9781319115098
Author: Roger Freedman, Robert Geller, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 1, Problem 25Q
To determine
The distance of Proxima Centauri from the earth if the diameter of the sun is 30 cm.
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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.
A parsec (pc) is a unit of length equivalent to [pc] = 3.09 × 1016 [m] and an astronomical unit (AU) is equivalent to [AU] = 1.50 × 1011 [m] in SI length units. How many parsecs are there in 2.47 × 106[AU]?A. 2.06 × 105[pc]B. 4.85 × 10−6[pc]C. 5.09 × 1011[pc]D. 12.0[pc]
Earth is about 150 million kilometers from the Sun (1 Astronomical Unit, or AU), and the apparent brightness of the Sun in our sky is about 1300 watts/m2. Using these two facts and the inverse square law for light, determine the apparent brightness that we would measure for the Sun if we were located at the following positions.
a) At the orbit of Venus (67 million km from the Sun)
Chapter 1 Solutions
Universe: Stars And Galaxies
Ch. 1 - Prob. 1QCh. 1 - Prob. 2QCh. 1 - Prob. 3QCh. 1 - Prob. 4QCh. 1 - Prob. 5QCh. 1 - Prob. 6QCh. 1 - Prob. 7QCh. 1 - Prob. 8QCh. 1 - Prob. 9QCh. 1 - Prob. 10Q
Ch. 1 - Prob. 11QCh. 1 - Prob. 12QCh. 1 - Prob. 13QCh. 1 - Prob. 14QCh. 1 - Prob. 15QCh. 1 - Prob. 16QCh. 1 - Prob. 17QCh. 1 - Prob. 18QCh. 1 - Prob. 19QCh. 1 - Prob. 20QCh. 1 - Prob. 21QCh. 1 - Prob. 22QCh. 1 - Prob. 23QCh. 1 - Prob. 24QCh. 1 - Prob. 25QCh. 1 - Prob. 26QCh. 1 - Prob. 27QCh. 1 - Prob. 28QCh. 1 - Prob. 29QCh. 1 - Prob. 30QCh. 1 - Prob. 31QCh. 1 - Prob. 32QCh. 1 - Prob. 33QCh. 1 - Prob. 34QCh. 1 - Prob. 35QCh. 1 - Prob. 36QCh. 1 - Prob. 37QCh. 1 - Prob. 38QCh. 1 - Prob. 39QCh. 1 - Prob. 40QCh. 1 - Prob. 41QCh. 1 - Prob. 42Q
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- Do the previous problem again, this time using the information that the Sun is 150,000,000 km away. You will get a very large number of km as your answer. To get a better feeling for how the distances compare, try calculating the time it takes light at a speed of 299,338 km/s to travel from the Sun to Earth and from Alpha Centauri to Earth. For Alpha Centauri, figure out how long the trip will take in years as well as in seconds.arrow_forwardFrom Doppler shifts of the spectral lines in the light coming from the east and west edges of the Sun, astronomers find that the radial velocities of the two edges differ by about 4 km/s, meaning that the Sun’s rotation rate is 2 km/s. Find the approximate period of rotation of the Sun in days. The circumference of a sphere is given by 2pR, where R is the radius of the sphere.arrow_forwardThe distance from the Sun to the nearest star is about 4 1016 m. The Milky Way galaxy (Fig. P1.31) is roughly a disk of diameter 1021 in and thickness 1019 m. Find the order of magnitude of the number of stars in the Milky Way. Assume the distance between the Sun and our nearest neighbor is typical. Figure P1.31 The Milky Way galaxy.arrow_forward
- The Messier Catalog is a. a listing of all the stars within the Local Bubble b. a list of all the HII listings visible without a telescope c. a list of nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies that might be mistaken for a comet far from the sun d. a list of regions where dark clouds large numbers of molecules can be foundarrow_forwardThe mass of the sun is 2.0 x 1030 kg, and the mass of a hydrogen atom is 1.67 x 10-27 kg. If we assume that the sun is mostly composed of hydrogen, how many atoms are there in the sun?arrow_forwardThe giant star Betelgeuse has an angular diameter as observed from Earth of about 0.05 arc seconds. If the star is 600 light years away from us, what is the physical diameter of the star in km? Compare this to the sun’s diameter of 1.4x10^6 km. The sun is about 1.6 x 10^(-5) light years from Earth.arrow_forward
- 15: A star has a parallax angle of 0.0270 arcseconds and an apparent magnitude of 4.641. What is the distance to this star? Answer: 37 16: What is the absolute magnitude of this star? Answer:1.8 17: Is this star more or less luminous than the Sun? Answer "M" for More luminous or "L" for Less luminous. (HINT: the absolute magnitude of the Sun is 4.8) Answer: M 18: What is the luminosity of this star? (HINT: The luminosity of the Sun is 3.85×1026 W.) Please answer question #18, #15-17 are correct, the photos provide the work for them.arrow_forwardWhen we look at a particular star, we are seeing it as it was 371 years ago. How far away from us (in meters) is the star? Take a year to be 365.25 days.arrow_forwardThe inner binary of the Polaris system, Polaris Aa and Ab, has a period of29.6 yr. Polaris Aa has a mass of 5.4 Msun and Polaris Ab has a mass of1.3 Msun. (a) What is the semi-major axis of Polaris Aa? (b) What is thesemi-major axis of Polaris Ab? (Note: there should be no need to assumecircular orbits here)arrow_forward
- Earth is about 150 million kilometers from the Sun (1 Astronomical Unit, or AU), and the apparent brightness of the Sun in our sky is about 1300 watts/m2. Using these two facts and the inverse square law for light, determine the apparent brightness that we would measure for the Sun if we were located at the following positions. a) At the mean distance of Pluto (40 Astronomical Units).arrow_forwardEarth is about 150 million kilometers from the Sun (1 Astronomical Unit, or AU), and the apparent brightness of the Sun in our sky is about 1300 watts/m^2. Using these two facts and the inverse square law for light, determine the apparent brightness that we would measure for the Sun if we were located at the following positions. a) At the orbit of Venus (67 million km from the Sun). b) At the orbit of Jupiter (780 million km from the Sun). c) At the mean distance of Pluto (40 Astronomical Units).arrow_forwardThe brightest star in the northern hemisphere is Sirius. Its distance from earth is estimated to be 8.7 light years. A light year is the distance light travels in one year. Light travels at a speed of 3.00 x 108 m/s. Calculate the distance from earth to Sirius in miles. (1 mi = 5280 ft)arrow_forward
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