If you saw Comet Halley when the comet was 0.8 AU from Earth and you observed a visible tail 4 degrees long, how long was the tail in kilometers? (Hint: Use the small-angle formula.) (Note: 1 AU = 1.5 x 10° km.) x km
If you saw Comet Halley when the comet was 0.8 AU from Earth and you observed a visible tail 4 degrees long, how long was the tail in kilometers? (Hint: Use the small-angle formula.) (Note: 1 AU = 1.5 x 10° km.) x km
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Question
Transcribed Image Text:If you saw Comet Halley when the comet was 0.8 AU from Earth and you observed a visible tail 4 degrees long, how long was the tail in kilometers?
(Hint: Use the small-angle formula.) (Note: 1 AU = 1.5 x 10° km.)
X km
Expert Solution
Concept
For Small-angle approximation
The arc length at distance r and angle θ is given by
Answer
The comet distance from the earth is r = 0.8 AU
Now 1 AU = 1.5 × 109 km
Thus
r = 0.8 × 1.5 × 109 km
r = 1.2 × 109 km
Angle to tail length from the earth is θ = 4 degrees
Now
Thus
The length of the comet tail is given by
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