Understanding Our Universe
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9780393614428
Author: PALEN, Stacy, Kay, Laura, Blumenthal, George (george Ray)
Publisher: W.w. Norton & Company,
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Chapter 9, Problem 40QAP
(a)
To determine
The semi major axes of orbits of comets.
(b)
To determine
The maximum distance from Sun reached by comets Halley and Hale-Bopp.
(c)
To determine
The comet that is most pristine among the three comets; the comet that is least pristine among the three comets.
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How do you solve for the aphelion? Particularly all I need to answer is letter b for now It takes 89.2 years for a comet to travel around its elliptical orbit. in which its perihelion is 0.67 AU. Calculate
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(b) an estimate of the comet’s aphelion, both in astronomical units (AU).
The Tunguska asteroid is estimated to have had a diameter of 50 m, and to have produced an explosion equivalent to 10 megatons of TNT (1 megaton = 4.2 x 1015 joules). Assume that the asteroid was a sphere with density 2 g/cm3. Using the kinetic energy formula K = ½ mv2, where m is the mass and v is the speed, to estimate the speed of the asteroid. Assume that all kinetic energy is converted into the energy of the explosion.
Give your answer in km/s with one significant figure.
Which of the following about comets is TRUE?
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Chapter 9 Solutions
Understanding Our Universe
Ch. 9.1 - Prob. 9.1CYUCh. 9.2 - Prob. 9.2CYUCh. 9.3 - Prob. 9.3CYUCh. 9.4 - Prob. 9.4CYUCh. 9.5 - Prob. 9.5CYUCh. 9.6 - Prob. 9.6CYUCh. 9 - Prob. 1QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 2QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 3QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 4QAP
Ch. 9 - Prob. 5QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 6QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 7QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 8QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 9QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 10QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 11QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 12QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 13QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 14QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 15QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 16QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 17QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 18QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 19QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 20QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 21QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 22QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 23QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 24QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 25QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 26QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 27QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 28QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 29QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 30QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 31QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 32QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 33QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 34QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 35QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 36QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 37QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 38QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 39QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 40QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 41QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 42QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 43QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 44QAPCh. 9 - Prob. 45QAP
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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
- How do the risks of dying from the impact of an asteroid or comet compare with other risks we are concerned about, such as dying in a car accident or from heart disease or some other natural cause? (Hint: To find the annual risk, go to the library or internet and look up the annual number of deaths from a particular cause in a particular country, and then divide by the population of that country.)arrow_forwardWhat is the orbital period of a comet nucleus at the inner edge of the Oort Cloud? What is its orbital velocity? Assume a circular orbit. (Hint: Use Keplers third law, Eq. 4-1) (Note: The circumference of a circle is 2r.)arrow_forwardWhat is the asteroid's orbital radius? What is the asteroid's orbital speed?arrow_forward
- Comet Halleys Orbital Parameters Figure 8.1 shows Comet Halleys elliptical orbit. a. Use the information given in the case study above and Keplers third law from Chapter 7 to find the semimajor axis a of Comet Halleys orbit. b. The comets perihelion distance is rP = 0.59 AU. Find its aphelion distance (farthest point from the Sun).arrow_forwardWhat are possible fates (or end-states) for comets?arrow_forwardLook at the images of Comet Mrkos on the left page of Concept Art: Observations of Comets. Is the comet shown on its way in around the Sun, on its way out, or is it not possible to tell?arrow_forward
- If the velocity of the solar wind is about 4.0 102 km/s and the visible tail of a comet is 1.0 108 km long, how many days does an atom in the solar wind take to travel from the nucleus to the end of the visible tail? (Nate: 1 day = 86,400 seconds.)arrow_forwardHow do asteroids and comets differ?arrow_forwardWhat is the period of revolution about the Sun for an asteroid with a semi-major axis of 3 AU in the middle of the asteroid belt?arrow_forward
- What is the difference between a comets dust tail and a comets gas tail? What does that tell you about the composition and origin of comets?arrow_forwardWhat is the difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid? Is there a sharp distinction?arrow_forwardDescribe the origin and eventual fate of the comets we see from Earth.arrow_forward
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