21st Century Astronomy
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780393428063
Author: Kay
Publisher: NORTON
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Chapter 5, Problem 27QP
To determine
The range that describe about the distances of the various stars.
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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.
Chapter 5 Solutions
21st Century Astronomy
Ch. 5.1 - Prob. 5.1ACYUCh. 5.1 - Prob. 5.1BCYUCh. 5.2 - Prob. 5.2CYUCh. 5.3 - Prob. 5.3CYUCh. 5.4 - Prob. 5.4CYUCh. 5.5 - Prob. 5.5CYUCh. 5 - Prob. 1QPCh. 5 - Prob. 2QPCh. 5 - Prob. 3QPCh. 5 - Prob. 4QP
Ch. 5 - Prob. 5QPCh. 5 - Prob. 6QPCh. 5 - Prob. 7QPCh. 5 - Prob. 8QPCh. 5 - Prob. 9QPCh. 5 - Prob. 10QPCh. 5 - Prob. 11QPCh. 5 - Prob. 12QPCh. 5 - Prob. 13QPCh. 5 - Prob. 14QPCh. 5 - Prob. 15QPCh. 5 - Prob. 16QPCh. 5 - Prob. 17QPCh. 5 - Prob. 18QPCh. 5 - Prob. 19QPCh. 5 - Prob. 20QPCh. 5 - Prob. 21QPCh. 5 - Prob. 22QPCh. 5 - Prob. 23QPCh. 5 - Prob. 24QPCh. 5 - Prob. 25QPCh. 5 - Prob. 26QPCh. 5 - Prob. 27QPCh. 5 - Prob. 28QPCh. 5 - Prob. 29QPCh. 5 - Prob. 30QPCh. 5 - Prob. 31QPCh. 5 - Prob. 32QPCh. 5 - Prob. 33QPCh. 5 - Prob. 34QPCh. 5 - Prob. 35QPCh. 5 - Prob. 36QPCh. 5 - Prob. 37QPCh. 5 - Prob. 38QPCh. 5 - Prob. 39QPCh. 5 - Prob. 40QPCh. 5 - Prob. 41QPCh. 5 - Prob. 42QPCh. 5 - Prob. 43QPCh. 5 - Prob. 44QPCh. 5 - Prob. 45QP
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What two factors determine how bright a star appears to be in the sky?arrow_forwardExplain what dispersion is and how astronomers use this phenomenon to study a star’s light.arrow_forwardWhich method would you use to obtain the distance to each of the following? A. An asteroid crossing Earth’s orbit B. A star astronomers believe to be no more than 50 light-years from the Sun C. A tight group of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy that includes a significant number of variable stars D. A star that is not variable but for which you can obtain a clearly defined spectrumarrow_forward
- One method to measure the diameter of a star is to use an object like the Moon or a planet to block out its light and to measure the time it takes to cover up the object. Why is this method used more often with the Moon rather than the planets, even though there are more planets?arrow_forwardName five characteristics of a star that can be determined by measuring its spectrum. Explain how you would use a spectrum to determine these characteristics.arrow_forwardConfirm that the angular diameter of the Sun of 1/2° corresponds to a linear diameter of 1.39 million km. Use the average distance of the Sun and Earth to derive the answer. (Hint: This can be solved using a trigonometric function.)arrow_forward
- You go out stargazing one night, and someone asks you how far away the brightest stars we see in the sky without a telescope are. What would be a good, general response? (Use Appendix J for more information.)arrow_forwardApproximately 9000 stars are visible to the naked eye in the whole sky (imagine that you could see around the entire globe and both the northern and southern hemispheres), and there are about 41,200 square degrees on the sky. How many stars are visible per square degree? Per square arcsecond?arrow_forwardAppendix I lists some of the nearest stars. Are most of these stars hotter or cooler than the Sun? Do any of them emit more energy than the Sun? If so, which ones?arrow_forward
- Star A and Star B have different apparent brightnesses but identical luminosities. If Star A is 20 light-years away from Earth and Star B is 40 light-years away from Earth, which star appears brighter and by what factor?arrow_forwardYou have enough information from this chapter to estimate the distance to Alpha Centauri, the second nearest star, which has an apparent magnitude of 0. Since it is a G2 star, like the Sun, assume it has the same luminosity as the Sun and the difference in magnitudes is a result only of the difference in distance. Estimate how far away Alpha Centauri is. Describe the necessary steps in words and then do the calculation. (As we will learn in the Celestial Distances chapter, this method-namely, assuming that stars with identical spectral types emit the same amount of energy-is actually used to estimate distances to stars.) If you assume the distance to the Sun is in AU, your answer will come out in AU.arrow_forward
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