Concept explainers
The time is taken by the star and the planet to complete one orbit around their center of mass.
Answer to Problem 1VSC
Solution:
The time taken is 5 days
Explanation of Solution
Given data:
The below figure shows the periodic variations in the Doppler shift of a star caused by a planet orbiting around it. Positive velocities mean the star is moving away from the Earth and negative velocities mean the star is moving towards Earth.
The orbital period for a planet detected by the Doppler method is the time between two points with the same velocity and slope in the velocity-time curve. From the velocity-time graph, we find this time period to be 5 days.
Conclusion:
It takes 5 daysfor the star and the planet to complete one orbit around their center of mass.
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Chapter 13 Solutions
Cosmic Perspective, The, Books A La Carte Edition & Mastering Astronomy With Pearson Etext -- Valuepack Access Card & Skygazer 5.0 Student Access Code Card (8th Edition)