The reason due to which astronomers suspected the “missing planet” to exist near the astroid belt’s orbital distance.
Answer to Problem 1CC
Solution:
The Titus-Bode law was the reason for suspecting that there is a “missing planet” near the asteroid belt.
Explanation of Solution
Introduction:
Titus-Bode law: This law is used to relate the orbital size of the planets. This law states that every subsequent planet has an orbital semi-major axis, which is 1.4 to 2 times the orbital semi-major axis of the planet just before it. This law is not considered as a fundamental law, it is solely a numerical concurrence.
Explanation:
According to the Titus-Bode law, semi-major axis of a subsequent planet’s orbit is approximately 1.4 to 2 times greater than that of the planet just before it. But Jupiter proved to be a discrepancy as the orbital semi-major axis of Jupiter (5.20 au) was more than three times the orbital semi-major axis of Mars (1.52 au).
So, the astronomers believed that, if Titus-Bode law was correct, there should be another planet in between Mars and Jupiter having an orbital semi-major axis of approximately 2 au to 3 au.
Conclusion:
Thus, the Titus-Bode law formed the basis on which astronomers started to look for the “missing planet” between Mars and Jupiter.
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Chapter 15 Solutions
Universe
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