SS Asteroids and Comets Lab
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Clemson University *
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Course
1030
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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4
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Asteroids and Comets Worksheet
Student Name: __
Sarah Sherman
__Section: __
4
__
Asteroids
Each of the yellow dots is an asteroid. You should see that they are primarily grouped in one
area. Let time play forward a little to get a feel for the motions and then answer the questions.
1.
Where do the majority of the asteroids (main belt asteroids)
appear to reside? Describe
their location based on the orbits of the planets.
The majority of the asteroids appear to reside between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
2.
Click on and view the orbits of some of the main belt asteroids. Do the main belt
asteroids mostly have circular or highly eccentric orbits? Give eccentricity value to
support your answer.
Yes, the main belt asteroids do mostly have a circular and eccentric orbit. Most asteroids that
appeared on Starry Night, their eccentricitys were closer to 0 than 1.
You may need to adjust your viewpoint by clicking on the screen and dragging to change your
angle of view for the next question.
3.
Compared to the planets, are the main belt asteroids mostly in the plane of the ecliptic?
Explain.
Yes, the main belt asteroids are mainly in the plane of the ecliptic because they have a similar
orbit to planets that have circular orbits.
Return to a top down view of the solar system. Play time forward and watch the asteroids that are
out by Jupiter’s orbit. These asteroids are called the Trojans.
4.
It may help to click on one of the asteroids near Jupiter’s orbit and watch it for one full
orbit of Jupiter. How does the asteroid’s orbit compare to Jupiter’s? You should change
the viewpoint to view the tilt of the asteroids orbit as well as the comparing the top down
view.
The asteroid’s orbit compares to the shape of Jupiter’s, but for a short period of time, it overlaps
Jupiter’s orbit then it returns back outside of Jupiter’s orbit.
5.
Let’s use the scientific process to determine whether main belt asteroids often collide
with one another. Begin by writing down your hypothesis. (Do you think there are a lot of
collisions and why do you think that.)
The main belt asteroids oftentimes collide with each other because theyre located on different
planes, which have different speeds, orbits, and sizes.
6.
Next, we will use a calculation to test your hypothesis. Recall that the main asteroid belt
is located between Mars and Jupiter. So, the first step of the calculation is to determine
the area of the asteroid belt by subtracting the area of Mars’ orbit from Jupiters’ orbit.
This will require finding the area of a circle. A= (pi)*r
2
Show your work below. Give
your final answer in kilometers squared (km
2
) using the conversion that 1 AU = 1.5x10
8
km.
Mars shows 1.5AU=2.25 x 10^8= 225000000
A=(pi)r^2 -> A=(pi)(225000000)^2= 1.589625 x 10^17 km^2
Jupiter shows 5.2 AU=7.8 x 10^8= 780000000
A=(pi)r^2 -> A=(pi)(780000000)^2= 1.910376 x 10^18 km^2
Mars to Jupiter shows 1.910376 x 10^18 - 1.589625 x 10^17= 1.7514135 x 10^18 km^2
7.
Now that you know the area of the asteroid belt, let’s determine how many asteroids
could fit in that space by dividing the area of the asteroid belt by the area of one asteroid.
Assume that the typical asteroid has a radius of 0.5 km. Show your work below.
The area of asteroid (pi)(0.5)^2 = (3.14)(0.25) = (0.785)
= 1.72 x 10^18 / 0.785 = 2.2 x 10^18 asteroids
8.
There are approximately 750,000 asteroids with a diameter of 1 km (radius of 0.5 km) in
the main asteroid belt. Using your calculation above, discuss whether or not this
information supports your hypothesis.
My hypothesis is not correct. My calculations prove that it is highly unlikely asteroids will
collide with each other due to the amount of space in the solar system.
Comets - read instructions to set up Starry Night to answer these questions
9.
What is the perihelion date of comet 1P/Halley?
August 19, 1910
10. What is the perihelion distance of this comet? How does this compare to Earth’s distance
from the Sun?
The perihelion distance of Halley’s comet is 0.6 AU. Earth’s distance from the Sun is 1.01 AU,
which means Halley’s comet is closer to the Sun than Earth.
11. At what point in 1P/Halley orbit did the tail of the comet appear largest?
The tail of the comet appeared largest at the perihelion.
12. In what direction does the comet tail point? Does it change direction as the comet orbits
the Sun?
The comet’s tail always points away from the Sun as it is orbiting. As it orbits, it changes
direction to continue to point away from the Sun.
13. What do you notice about the direction of 1P/Halley orbit compared to that of the planets
from the top down view of the solar system? Explain
The 1P/Halley orbit is more elliptical than other planets, and the comet also orbits the Sun in a
clockwise direction while the planets orbit the Sun in a counterclockwise direction.
14. The tail of Halley’s Comet came close enough to Earth that it hit the Earth’s atmosphere
(or the other way around). When did Earth pass through the tail (hint: find the date in
1910).
Earth passed through the tail on July 18, 1910.
15. When does the comet travel fastest? Give terminology and dates
The comet travels fastest around August 19, 1910 when it is approaching perihelion.
16. When does the comet travel slowest? Give terminology and dates
The comet travels the slowest around January 8, 1954 when it is approaching aphelion.
17. What physical law describes when the comet will move faster or slower?
Kepler’s 2nd Law describes when celestial objects move faster or slower, which depends on the
distance from the Sun because of an objects orbit.
18. After answering the above questions, change the time step to 1-3 months. When are the
next two appearances of Halley’s comet? (Be careful not to miss the perihelion of the
comet.Adjust the time step back to 1 day as the comet gets closer to perihelion).
Date 1: from first question in comets above. Give date from question 9. August 19, 1910
Date 2: February 19, 1986
Date 3: September 11, 2061
19.What is the average gap in time between the three occurrences of Halley’s comet that you saw
today?
The average gap in time is approximately 75 years.
20. Do you think you will see Halley’s comet in your lifetime?
Yes, I believe I will be in my 60s.
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko -return to the instructions to set up Starry night for these
questions
The image below shows the comet up-close from a distance of 238 kilometers (Image Credit:
2014 ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team).
Your preview ends here
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21. Describe the comet nucleus, in your own words. Consider its shape, relative bright and dark
areas, and surface features.
The comet nucleus is kind of shaped like a boot with a lot of craters. There are several large
chunks missing from the area that looks like the toe and heel of the boot. It looks like there is a
large missing chunk on the bottom of the boot, or it could just be a dark area. There are a few
small light spots that show a smoother surface on the top and sides of the boot as well.
22. Philae landed on the comet surface on November 12, 2014 and sent an “I’m OK!” message to
Rosetta to be relayed to Earth. How long did it take Earth to receive Rosetta’s signal if the signal
traveled at the speed of light which is 3 x 10
5
km/s. You must first determine the distance
between Earth and the comet. Use the measurement tool to find the distance in AU and use 1AU
= 1.5x10
8
km. Give your answer in minutes.
The distance between Earth and the comet equals 2.79 AU, so:
2.79(1.5) = 4.185 -> 4.185 x 10^8 km
4.185 x 10^8 / 3 x 10^5 = 1.395 x 10^3 seconds = 23.3 minutes