Essential Cosmic Perspective
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780135795033
Author: Bennett
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 2, Problem 53EAP
Find the Sun’s Diameter. The Sun has an angular diameter of about 0.5° and an average distance from Earth of about 150 million km. What is the Sun’s approximate physical diameter? Compare your answer to the actual value of 1,390,000 km.
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Chapter 2 Solutions
Essential Cosmic Perspective
Ch. 2 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 2 - Which of the four labeled points represents the...Ch. 2 - Which of the four labeled points represents the...Ch. 2 - The diagram exaggerates the sizes of Earth and the...Ch. 2 - Given that Earths actual distance from the Sun...Ch. 2 - As viewed from Earth, in which zodiac...Ch. 2 - If the date is April 21, what zodiac constellation...Ch. 2 - If the date is April 21, what zodiac constellation...Ch. 2 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 2 - Suppose you were making a model of the celestial...
Ch. 2 - On a clear, dark night, the sky may appear to be...Ch. 2 - Why does the local sky look like a dome? Define...Ch. 2 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 2 - What are circumpolar stars? Are more stars...Ch. 2 - What are latitude and longitude? Does the local...Ch. 2 - What is the zodiac, and why do we see different...Ch. 2 - Suppose Earth’s axis had no tilt. Would we still...Ch. 2 - Briefly describe key facts about the solstices and...Ch. 2 - What is precession? How does it affect our view of...Ch. 2 - Briefly describe the Moons cycle of phases. Can...Ch. 2 - Why do we always see the same face of the Moon?Ch. 2 - Why don’t we see an eclipse at every new and full...Ch. 2 - What do we mean by the apparent retrograde motion...Ch. 2 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Two stars that are in the same constellation (a)...Ch. 2 - The north celestial pole is 35° above your...Ch. 2 - Beijing and Philadelphia have about the same...Ch. 2 - In winter, Earth’s axis points toward the star...Ch. 2 - When it is summer in Australia, the season in the...Ch. 2 - If the Sun rises precisely due east. (a) you must...Ch. 2 - A week after full moon, the Moon’s phase is (a)...Ch. 2 - The fact that we always see the same face of the...Ch. 2 - If there is going to be a total lunar eclipse...Ch. 2 - When we see Saturn going through a period of...Ch. 2 - Cultural Constellations. Many cultures have...Ch. 2 - Group Discussion: Sharing the Sky. Astronomers...Ch. 2 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - New Planet. A planet in another solar system has a...Ch. 2 - Your View of the Sky. a. What are your latitude...Ch. 2 - View from the Moon. Suppose you lived on the Moon,...Ch. 2 - View from the Sun. Suppose you lived on the Sun...Ch. 2 - Farther Moon. Suppose the distance to the Moon...Ch. 2 - Smaller Earth. Suppose Earth were smaller. Would...Ch. 2 - Project: Eclipse Trip. Find details about a future...Ch. 2 - Be sure to show all calculations clearly and state...Ch. 2 - Find the Sun’s Diameter. The Sun has an angular...Ch. 2 - Prob. 54EAPCh. 2 - Prob. 55EAP
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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
- Thinking about the Scale of the Solar System As we discussed, the radius of the Earth is approximately 6370 km. The Sun, on the other hand, is approximately 700,000 km in radius and located, on average, one astronomical unit (1 au=1.5x108 km) from the Earth. Imagine that you stand near Mansueto Library, at the corner of 57th and Ellis. You hold a standard desk globe, which has a diameter of 12 inches, and you want to build a model of the Sun, Earth, and their separation that keeps all sizes and lengths in proportion to one another. a) How big would the Sun be in this scale model? Give your answer in feet and meters. b) The nearest star to the Solar System outside of the Sun is Proxima Centauri, which is approximately 4.2 light years away (a light year is the distance light travels in one year, or approximately 9.5x1012 km). Given the scale model outlined above, how far would a model Proxima Centauri be placed from you? Give your answer in miles and km.arrow_forwardWhat would be the distance to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri (4.4 light-years away). (Hint: Find the distance to Alpha Centauri in units of AU.) Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units.arrow_forwardQ.4. The angular diameter of the sun from earth is 16 minute. If the distance of earth from the sun is 1.49×10¹¹m, then what will be the diameter of sun?arrow_forward
- During a total solar eclipse the Moon’s shadow travels across the Earth at a speed of about 2400 km/hr or 667 m/s. If Texas is 1,244 km (1,244,000 m) wide, how long will it take (in minutes), for the shadow to travel across Texas?arrow_forwardAs we discuss in class, the radius of the Earth is approximately 6370 km. Theradius of the Sun, on the other hand, is approximately 700,000 km. The Sun is located,on average, one astronomical unit (1 au) from the Earth. Imagine that you stand near Mansueto Library, at the corner of 57th and Ellis.Mansueto’s dome is 35 feet (10.7 meters) high. Let’s imagine we put a model of theSun inside the dome, such that it just fits — that is, the model Sun’s diameter is 35 feet The nearest star to the Solar System outside of the Sun is Proxima Centauri,which is approximately 4.2 light years away. Given the scale model outlined above,how far would a model Proxima Centauri be placed from you? Give your answer inmiles and kmarrow_forwardThe Sun's angular diameter is measured to be 1920". The distance D of the Sun from the Earth is 1.496x1011 m. What is the diameter of the Sun?arrow_forward
- The actual average Earth–Moon distance is about 384,000 kilometers, and Earth’s diameter is about 12,800 kilometers. How many “Earth diameters” is the distance from Earth to the Moon?arrow_forwardOn August 27, 2003, the planet Mars was at a distance of 0.373 AU from Earth. The diameter of Mars is 6788 km. Calculate the angular diameter of Mars, as seen from Earth on August 27, 2003. Give your answer in arcminutes.arrow_forwardIt is important to have an idea about the distances between and relative sizes of celestial objects in the solar system. In Part 1 we will pretend to shrink the solar system until its center piece, the Sun, is 67.3 cm in diameter. This will represent the Sun which is 1,390,000 km in diameter. The scale of our model is thus: 67.3 cm = 4.84 x 10-5 cm km Scale 1, 390, 000 km To find the size or distance between objects in centimeters for the model, simply multiply the actual size or distance in kilometers by the scale factor above. 1. Fill in following table: Quantity Actual Distance (km) Model Distance (cm) Diameter of Sun 1,390,000 Diameter of Earth 12,760 Diameter of Moon 3,480 Distance Between Earth and Sun 1.5 x 108 Distance Between Earth and Moon 384,000 Distance to Proxima Centauri 3.97 x 1013arrow_forward
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