Concept explainers
Halley's Comet Edmond Halley was the first to realize that the comets observed in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were really one comet (now called Halley's Comet) that moved around the Sun in an elongated elliptical orbit (see Figure 5.5). He predicted that the peanut-shaped comet would reappear in 1757. It appeared in March 1759 (attractions to Jupiter and Saturn delayed its trip by 618 days). More recent appearances of Halley’s Comet were in 1835, 1910, and 1986. It is expected again in 2061.
The nucleus of Halley's Comet is relatively small (15 km long. 8 km wide, and 8 km thick). It has a low
The nucleus rotates once every 52 h. When Halley’s Comet is closest to the Sun, temperatures on the comet can rise to about
What object or objects exert forces on the comet as it passes position I (shown in Figure P5.78)?
a. The Sun's gravitational force toward the Sun
b. The force of motion tangent to the direction the comet is traveling
c. An outward force away from the Sun
d. a and b
e. a, b, and c
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 5 Solutions
Pearson eText for College Physics: Explore and Apply -- Instant Access (Pearson+)
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Sears And Zemansky's University Physics With Modern Physics
Modern Physics
University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics (4th Edition)
Essential University Physics (3rd Edition)
Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics
- What is the orbital speed at Earths surface? Ignore atmospheric friction. (Note: Earths average radius is 6370 km. Hint: Convert all quantities to m, kg, s.)arrow_forwardFor any object orbiting the Sun, Kepler's Law may be written T2 = kr3. If T is measured in years and r in units of the Earth's distance from the Sun, then k = 1. What, therefore, is the time (in years) for a comet to orbit the Sun if its mean radius from the Sun is 10^4 times the Earth's distance from the Sun? a. 10^4 years b. 10^6 years c. 10^8 years d. 10^10 yearsarrow_forwardQ11arrow_forward
- In 1993 the Galileo spacecraft sent home an image of asteroid "243 Ida" and a tiny moon "Dactyl" orbiting the asteroid. Assume that the small moon orbits in a circle with a radius of r = 100 km from the center of the asteroid with an orbital period of T = 27 hours. a. Show and explain how we derived Kepler's 3rd law using Newton's 2nd Law, the definition for centripetal acceleration, and the equation for gravitational force. b. Use your result for Kepler's 3rd Law to determine the mass of the asteroid. c. If the asteroid has a radius of about 16 km calculate the approximate value for the acceleration due to gravity, g, on its surface. d. What velocity would you need to achieve in order to lift off and leave this asteroid? e. Use Newton's 2nd Law, the definition for centripetal acceleration, and the equation for gravitational force to determine an expression for circular orbital velocity. f. What is the orbital velocity of the small moon if we assume it is in a circular orbit?arrow_forward3. Which of the following works paved way to the formulation of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion? * O A Astronomical data on supernova and comet B. Extensive observation of motion of Mars and other planets C.Observations on stellar parallax using quadrants and sextants D. Solar system model that combines the idea of Ptolemy and Copernicus 4. Maria is holding a feather and a metal ball to be released at the same room without any air resistance. If Maria is a follower of boight in.arrow_forwardLeave the moon's amplitude (semi-major axis) constant. How does the changing of the moon's orbital period change the calculated value of the planet's mass? a. Increasing the orbital period results in a higher calculated value for the mass of the planet. Decreasing the orbital period results in a lower calculated value for the mass of the planet. b. Increasing the orbital period results in a lower calculated value for the mass of the planet. Decreasing the orbital period results in a higher calculated value for the mass of the planet. c. Increasing the orbital period results in a higher calculates value for the mass of the planet. Decreasing the orbital period results in a higher calculated value for the mass of the planet.arrow_forward
- Why does the Moon have a greater influence on Earth's tides than the Sun does? A. because the Moon is closer to Earth than the Sun is B. because the Moon is more massive than the Sun C. because the Moon is less massive than the Sun D. because the Moon is farther away from Earth than the Sun isarrow_forward2 Using Kepler's 3 law, calculate the length of the semi-major axis of such a comet's orbit. NOV 66 étv 21arrow_forward5. Find the Kinetic energy when it hits the Earth's surface. (assume no air resistance) Saturn is orbiting around the Sun at a distance of 9.555 AU, and Saturn's period is 29.4 years. 6. Use this astronomical data to calculate the mass of the Sun. Venus has a 0.82 Earth mass, and a radius of 0.95 Earth radius. 7. Use this data to calculate the escape velocity of Venus. 8. Find the orbital velocity of a space probe that is 200,000 km above the surface. 9. Find the Orbital period of this space probe. The escape velocity on the surface of the Moon is 2.4 Km/sec, and the radius of the Moon is 0.27 Earth's radius. Find the mass of the Moon from this.arrow_forward
- Comets travel around the sun in elliptical orbits with large eccentricities. If a comet has speed 2.1x104 m/s when at a distance of 3.0×1011 m from the center of the sun, what is its speed when at a distance of 4 8x1010 m Express your answer in meters per second. m/s Submit Request Answerarrow_forwardExplain Earth’s gravitational force.arrow_forward010: A new planet (tentatively named "Melmac") is found in a circular orbit with a period of 571 years. The sun has a mass of 1.9891x1030 kg. How far away is the planet in Astronomical Units (AU) ? Note: An A.U. is 1.496x1011 m.arrow_forward
- Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based TextPhysicsISBN:9781133104261Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningPhysics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations...PhysicsISBN:9781133939146Author:Katz, Debora M.Publisher:Cengage LearningCollege PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781305952300Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris VuillePublisher:Cengage Learning
- Glencoe Physics: Principles and Problems, Student...PhysicsISBN:9780078807213Author:Paul W. ZitzewitzPublisher:Glencoe/McGraw-HillModern PhysicsPhysicsISBN:9781111794378Author:Raymond A. Serway, Clement J. Moses, Curt A. MoyerPublisher:Cengage LearningFoundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning