Surveying the Solar System
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University of Alabama, Birmingham *
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Course
101
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
7
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Surveying the Solar System Investigation: Questions & Answers
Name:
Date: Thu Oct 05 2023 20:37:05 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)
1. Estimate the time it takes each object to move from its first to last position. (The times are displayed
in the upper right corner of each image.) Is the amount of time it takes for the two objects to move
across the sky approximately the same?
no
2. The object that takes a longer time to move across the field of view is
farther from
the
Sun, and will have a
long
orbital period.
3. Size of the orbit:
All of the orbits are within the inner Solar System (between 0.5 - 4 au).
4. Eccentricity:
Most orbits are noticeably more elliptical than the shape of Earth’s orbit (greater than 0.3)
5. Inclination:
Most orbits are similar to the tilt of Earth’s orbital plane (0-20°).
6. Direction of the orbit (remember, an inclination greater than 90° indicates that the object orbits the Sun
opposite the direction of Earth’s orbit):
Almost all objects orbit the Sun in the same direction as Earth’s orbit.
7. Size of the orbit:
All of the orbits are within the inner Solar System (between 1.5 - 5.2 au).
8. Eccentricity:
Most orbits are similar to the shape of Earth’s orbit (0.0 - 0.3)
Please enter your name
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9. Inclination:
Most orbits are similar to the tilt of Earth’s orbital plane (0-20°).
10. Direction of the orbit (remember, an inclination greater than 90° indicates that the object orbits the
Sun opposite the direction of Earth’s orbit):
Almost all objects orbit the Sun in the same direction as Earth’s orbit.
11. Size of the orbit:
The orbit sizes are 30 au or larger, and objects typically orbit beyond Neptune.
12. Eccentricity:
Most orbits are similar to the shape of Earth’s orbit (0.0 - 0.3)
13. Inclination:
Most orbits are similar to the tilt of Earth’s orbital plane (0-20°).
14. Direction of the orbit (remember, an inclination greater than 90° indicates that the object orbits the
Sun opposite the direction of Earth’s orbit):
Almost all objects orbit the Sun in the same direction as Earth’s orbit.
15. Size of the orbit:
The orbit sizes span both the inner and outer Solar System, beyond 30 au.
16. Eccentricity:
Most orbits are noticeably more elliptical than the shape of Earth’s orbit (greater than 0.3)
17. Inclination:
There is an equal distribution across all tilts of the orbits.
18. Direction of the orbit (remember, an inclination greater than 90° indicates that the object orbits the
Sun opposite the direction of Earth’s orbit):
More than 10% of the objects orbit the Sun in the opposite direction of Earth’s orbit (i >90°).
19. What differences exist between the different groups of objects? Provide at least three examples.
TNOs are only in the outer Solar System, Comets have a wide range in tilts, and Comets are
also the only ones that orbit the opposite of Earth.
20. Which group of objects will experience the greatest change in orbital speed during one orbital period?
Explain your reasoning.
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TNOs and Comets because they have the largest size of orbit.
Group
Size of Orbit
Eccentricity
Inclination
Direction of
Orbit
NEOs
Within inner
Solar System
(between 0.5 -
4 au)
More elliptical
than Earth’s
(greater than
0.3)
Similar to
Earth’s (0-20°)
Same
direction as
Earth’s
MBAs
Within inner
Solar System
(between 1.5 -
5.2 au)
Similar to
Earth’s (0.0 -
0.3)
Similar to
Earth’s (0-20°)
Same
direction as
Earth’s
TNOs
In the outer
Solar System
(30 au or
larger)
Similar to
Earth’s (0.0 -
0.3)
Similar to
Earth’s (0-20°)
Same
direction as
Earth’s
Comets
Span inner and
outer Solar
System
(beyond 30 au)
More elliptical
than Earth’s
(greater than
0.3)
Wide range in
tilts
Opposite
direction as
Earth’s (i
>90°)
21. Based on the histogram, rank the total number of small Solar System objects in each group, from
most to least:
MBA, NEO, TNO, Comet
22. Rubin Observatory will make thousands of observations of our Solar System over the next decade.
Do you think the number of any of these groups will change substantially? Which one(s), and why?
The number of comets could change as technology advances and we are able to look
further away in the Solar System.
23. Refer to your table of observations from the previous section. Which of the four groups do you think
this is? Explain your reasoning in terms of the unique set of orbital properties that defines this group of
objects.
Answer not provided
24. Refer to your table of observations from the previous section. Which of the four groups do you think
this is? Explain your reasoning in terms of the unique set of orbital properties that defines this group of
objects.
Answer not provided
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25. Refer to your table of observations from the previous section. Which of the four groups do you think
this is? Explain your reasoning in terms of the unique set of orbital properties that defines this group of
objects.
Answer not provided
26. Refer to your table of observations from the previous section. Which of the four groups do you think
this is? Explain your reasoning in terms of the unique set of orbital properties that defines this group of
objects.
Answer not provided
27. Many comets are thought to originate from the Oort Cloud. Explain why these comets might have
very inclined orbits compared to other types of Solar System objects.
Answer not provided
28.
(nothing selected)
of the small Solar System objects have orbits that lie in the orbital
plane of the planets.
29.
(nothing selected)
of the Solar System objects orbit in the opposite direction of the
planets around the Sun.
30. How do the range of values for the inclination for the small objects of the Solar System support the
nebular theory?
Answer not provided
31. Imagine a close encounter in space between two objects, one with a large mass, and one with a small
mass. As the objects approach each other, the gravitational forces they exert on each other must be
equal according to Newton’s Third Law. Which object would experience a greater acceleration (change in
its direction and speed)? Hint: think about Newton’s Second Law (force = mass X acceleration).
(nothing selected)
32. In addition to mass, the distance between the two objects is a factor in determining the
gravitational force between the objects. Objects that are farther apart will have a
(nothing
selected)
gravitational force between them and are
(nothing selected)
likely to experience
a change in their orbits.
33. What is this object's name?
Answer not provided
34. What type of object is this?
(nothing selected)
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35. Explain why you chose this type. What data/evidence supports your choice?
Answer not provided
36. What is this object's name?
Answer not provided
37. What type of object is this?
(nothing selected)
38. Explain why you chose this type. What data/evidence supports your choice?
Answer not provided
39. What is this object's name?
Answer not provided
40. What type of object is this?
(nothing selected)
41. Explain why you chose this type. What data/evidence supports your choice?
Answer not provided
Name
Type
Data/Evidence
#1
#2
#3
42. Your team discovers a new group of small objects that do not seem to fall into any of the four major
groups you have investigated so far. Use the histograms to complete the table below.
New Group Property
Range
Most Common
Orbit size (au)
–
Eccentricity
–
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New Group Property
Range
Most Common
Inclinationº
–
43. Do you agree or disagree with the orbital characteristics displayed in Student Team A’s drawing
above? Explain your reasoning.
Answer not provided
44. Do you agree or disagree with the orbital characteristics displayed in Student Team B’s drawing
above? Explain your reasoning.
Answer not provided
45. Do you agree or disagree with the orbital characteristics displayed in Student Team C’s drawing
above? Explain your reasoning.
Answer not provided
46. Based on the data you have determined for this new group of objects,
(nothing
selected)
of them orbit the Sun in the opposite direction of Earth’s orbit.
47. Based on their orbit size, between which two planets are these new objects located?
Answer not provided
48. Which orbital characteristic(s) makes these objects different from the other four groups of objects
you studied earlier? Explain.
Answer not provided
49. You are presenting the findings of your science team at an international science conference and are
sharing for the first time the name you selected for your newly discovered group of solar system objects.
What name do you propose?
Answer not provided
50. Provide an explanation that defends why you chose this name.
Answer not provided
51. Your team is designing its media strategy to bring the greatest awareness to this discovery. How
would you communicate your findings?
Answer not provided
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52. The asteroid `Oumuamua and comet Borisov were discovered while they were passing through our
Solar System, but each came from different solar systems. Based on what you have learned about
gravitational interactions, provide an explanation for how these objects were able to leave their solar
systems.
Answer not provided
53. Comets often come very close to the Sun during their orbits. Comets are able to remain icy even after
a close trip around the Sun. Explain how this can happen based on what you know about the changing
speed of the comet during its orbit and the amount of time it spends near the Sun.
Answer not provided