Chapter 24, Problem 1GST

To determine

The order of locations which will encounter its destination from the nearest Earth to the farthest by assuming that NASA is sending a space probe to the following locations:

a. Polaris (the North Star)

b. A comet near the outer edge of our solar system

c. Jupiter

d. The far edge of the Milky Way Galaxy

e. The near side of the Andromeda Galaxy

f. The sun

Answer to Problem 1GST

The order of locations (from nearest to farthest) from the Earth is the sun, Jupiter, a comet at the outer edge of the solar system, Polaris, the far edge of the Milky Way, the near side of the Andromeda galaxy.

Explanation of Solution

“A space probe is a robotic spacecraft which explores further into outer space. A space probe may reach the moon, travel through interplanetary space, orbit, flyby, or land on other planetary bodies, or enter interstellar space.”

1. a) Polaris – Polaris is commonly known as the North Star or Pole Star. It is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. The distance from the Earth to Polaris is about 433 light-years.
2. b) A comet near the outer edge of our solar system – The comet is probably from the Oort cloud which starts at 1000 AU from the sun.  The outer edge of the solar system is beyond Pluto; there is an imaginary sphere called the Heliopause. It is about 100 AU away from the sun.
3. c) Jupiter – It is the largest planet and is located in the fifth position in our solar system. It is one of the gas giants. The distance from the Earth to Jupiter is 4.2 AU.
4. d) The far edge of the Milky Way Galaxy – The Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy containing stars and interstellar matter with a bulge in the center, having a concentration of old stars. The disk has spiral arms extending outward from its central bulge. The sun is not the central part of the Milky Way galaxy. Hence, appropriate distance from the sun to the outer edge of the Milky Way is approximately 30,000 light years.
5. e) The near side of the Andromeda Galaxy – The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from the Earth and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.
6. f) The sun – It is a star and the center of the Solar system where all the planets and other celestial bodies revolve around its central axis. Its distance from the Earth is 149.6 million km or 1 AU.