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 43QAP
To determine
The amount of energy released by comet compared with the amount of energy released by hydrogen bomb.
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On February 15, 2013, Asteroid 2012 DA14 passed within 17,200 miles [mi] of the surface of the Earth at a relative speed of 7.8 kilometers per second [km/s]. This is considerably closer than the orbit of geosynchronous satellites (26,200 miles). This is the closest recorded approach of an object this large. The asteroid 2012 DA14 was estimated to have a diameter of 30 meters [m] and a specific gravity of 3. If 2012 DA14 had hit the Earth, what is the total amount of energy that would have been released (i.e., what was the kinetic energy of the asteroid)? Express your answer in megatons [Mton]. One megaton is the energy released by one million metric tons of TNT explosive. A metric ton equals 1,000 kilograms [kg], and the explosive energy of TNT is 4,184 joules per gram [J/g].
A 0.872 km diameter asteroid will make a crater about 10 km in diameter. Let the asteroid have a density of 3000 kg/m3 and impact the surface at 22 km/sec. Assuming a spherical asteroid, what is the kinetic energy (in joule) of the asteroid? Convert the answer to megatons of TNT, where 1 megaton is about 4 × 1015 joule. For comparison, the most energetic weapon in the human arsenal is about 100 megatons.
An asteroid closely passes the Earth at a range of 17200mi and a relative speed of 7.8km/s.The diameter is estimated at 30mwith a specific gravity of 3. If this asteroid had impacted Earth, how much energy would have been released? Express this quantity in units of mega-tons (M ton) where a megaton is the energy released by one million metric tons of TNT explosive. A metric ton is 1000kgand the explosive energy density of TNT is 4184J/g.Hint: If the asteroid hits the Earth, its relative velocity becomes zero. Ignore any change in asteroid velocity due to gravitational acceleration or air resistance.
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
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- If asteroid Toutatis were to pass somewhere within 24 x105 km of planet Syrene, what is the probability that it would strike the Syrene? Calculate the probability by considering an imanginary dartboard of radius 24 x105 km in which the bulls-eye has Syrene's radius, 6500.0 km. Assume the radius of Toutatis is much smaller than the radius of Syrene.arrow_forwardThe mass of an average comet's nucleus is about 1.0 ✕ 1014 kg. If the Oort cloud contains 2.0 ✕ 1011 comet nuclei, what is the mass of the cloud in units of Earth masses? (Note: Earth's mass is 5.97 ✕ 1024 kg.)________ m Compare that with Uranus's mass. (Note: Uranus's mass in units of Earth's mass is 14.5 M.) mass of the Oort Cloud / mas of Uranus =________arrow_forwardYou observe a comet 0.46 AU from Earth with a tail that is 1.7 degrees long. How long is the tail in AU? How long is the tail in kilometers? How many times could the U.S. fit along the length of the tail? (The width of the U.S. is 4,313 km.)arrow_forward
- A comet has a period of 75.3 years and moves in an elliptical orbit in which its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) is 0.640 AU. Find the semimajor axis of the comet and an estimate of the comet's maximum distance from the Sun, both in astronomical units. (a) the semimajor axis of the comet (in AU) (b) an estimate of the comet's maximum distance (in AU) from the Sunarrow_forwardA comet has a period of 70.3 years and moves in an elliptical orbit in which its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) is 0.620 AU. Find the semimajor axis of the comet and an estimate of the comet's maximum distance from the Sun, both in astronomical units. (a) the semimajor axis of the comet (in AU) (b)an estimate of the comet's maximum distance (in AU) from the Sunarrow_forwardA comet has a period of 81.8 years and moves in an elliptical orbit in which its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) is 0.540 AU. Find the semimajor axis of the comet and an estimate of the comet's maximum distance from the Sun, both in astronomical units. (a)the semimajor axis of the comet (in AU) AU (b)an estimate of the comet's maximum distance (in AU) from the Sun AUarrow_forward
- What kind of molecules have been found on extraterrestrial meteors ?arrow_forwardThe 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.arrow_forwardReview Figure 21-11. Which molecules can Triton retain in its atmosphere? Figure 21-11 Loss of atmospheric gases. Dots represent the escape velocity and temperature of various Solar System bodies. The lines represent the typical highest velocities of molecules of various masses. The Jovian planets have high escape velocities and can hold onto even the lowest-mass molecules. Mars can hold only the more massive molecules, and the Moon has such a low escape velocity that even massive molecules can escape.arrow_forward
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