Conceptual Physical Science (6th Edition)
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780134060491
Author: Paul G. Hewitt, John A. Suchocki, Leslie A. Hewitt
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Videos
Textbook Question
Chapter 27, Problem 55E
Why does the Big Dipper change its position in the night sky over the course of the evening, whereas Polaris, the North Star, remains relatively fixed in its position?
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solution
Students have asked these similar questions
The right ascension and declination of the seven stars of the Big Dipper are given below:
Star
Right Ascension
Declination
Alkaid
13h48m
+49° 19'
Mizar
13h24m
+54°56'
Alioth
12h54m
+55°58'
12h15m
+57°02'
11h54m
+53°42'
Merak
11h02m
+56°23'
Dubhe
11h04m
+61°45'
(1) For what range of latitude are all the stars of the Big Dipper circumpolar?
Megrez
Phecda
If we view a star now, and then view it again 6 months later, our position will have changed by the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the sun. For nearby stars (within 100 light-years or so), the change in viewing location is sufficient to make the star appear to be in a slightly different location in the sky. Half of the angle from one location to the next is known as the parallax angle (see figure). Parallax can be used to measure the distance to the star. An approximate relationship is given by
d =
3.26
p
,
where d is the distance in light-years, and p is the parallax measured in seconds of arc. Vega is a star that has a parallax angle of 0.13 second. How far is Vega from the sun? Note: Parallax is used not only to measure stellar distances. Our binocular vision actually provides the brain with a parallax angle that it uses to estimate distances to objects we see. (Round your answer to two decimal places.) light-years
Use a diagram to explain what is meant by the parallax angle, p, for a star observed twice from Earth, with a 6-month interval between each observation. Hence define the parsec, and calculate its value in astronomical units and metres. The star Betelgeuse is observed to have a parallax angle p = 4.5 × 10−3 arcseconds. State the distance of Betelgeuse in units of parsecs and light years.
Chapter 27 Solutions
Conceptual Physical Science (6th Edition)
Ch. 27 - What are constellations?Ch. 27 - Why does an observer at a given location see one...Ch. 27 - Prob. 3RCQCh. 27 - Is the light-year a measurement of time or...Ch. 27 - Prob. 5RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 6RCQCh. 27 - What is an H-R diagram?Ch. 27 - Prob. 8RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 9RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 10RCQ
Ch. 27 - Prob. 11RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 12RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 13RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 14RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 15RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 16RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 17RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 18RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 19RCQCh. 27 - Why dont we think the Sun will eventually become a...Ch. 27 - How does the mass of a star before its collapse...Ch. 27 - If black holes are invisible, what is the evidence...Ch. 27 - Prob. 23RCQCh. 27 - What type of galaxy is the Milky Way?Ch. 27 - What are the consequences of galaxies colliding?Ch. 27 - What is a starburst galaxy?Ch. 27 - Prob. 27RCQCh. 27 - How many spiral galaxies are in the Local Group?Ch. 27 - Is the Local Group a relatively small or large...Ch. 27 - Prob. 30RCQCh. 27 - Prob. 34TASCh. 27 - The brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is about 8...Ch. 27 - If you were to travel straight up from the core of...Ch. 27 - Prob. 37TASCh. 27 - Prob. 38TASCh. 27 - Prob. 39TASCh. 27 - Prob. 40TARCh. 27 - Prob. 41TARCh. 27 - Prob. 42TARCh. 27 - Prob. 43TARCh. 27 - Rank the nuclear fuels in order of being consumed,...Ch. 27 - Prob. 45TARCh. 27 - Rank in order of increasing size: (a) solar...Ch. 27 - The 19th-century author and social commentator...Ch. 27 - Prob. 48ECh. 27 - On the Moon, stars other than the Sun can be seen...Ch. 27 - Which figure in this chapter best shows that a...Ch. 27 - We see the constellations as distinct groups of...Ch. 27 - Prob. 52ECh. 27 - Which moves faster from horizon to horizon: the...Ch. 27 - Prob. 54ECh. 27 - Why does the Big Dipper change its position in the...Ch. 27 - Prob. 56ECh. 27 - Prob. 57ECh. 27 - Prob. 58ECh. 27 - Why dont we see the ultraviolet color of stars?Ch. 27 - Does a blue star contain yellow light?Ch. 27 - Does a yellow star contain blue light?Ch. 27 - Prob. 62ECh. 27 - Prob. 63ECh. 27 - Prob. 64ECh. 27 - Prob. 65ECh. 27 - Prob. 66ECh. 27 - Prob. 67ECh. 27 - Prob. 68ECh. 27 - Prob. 69ECh. 27 - Prob. 70ECh. 27 - Prob. 71ECh. 27 - Prob. 72ECh. 27 - Prob. 73ECh. 27 - Prob. 74ECh. 27 - Prob. 75ECh. 27 - What evidence suggests that our Sun is a...Ch. 27 - Prob. 77ECh. 27 - Prob. 78ECh. 27 - Prob. 79ECh. 27 - Prob. 80ECh. 27 - Prob. 81ECh. 27 - Prob. 82ECh. 27 - Prob. 83ECh. 27 - Prob. 84ECh. 27 - Prob. 85ECh. 27 - Prob. 86ECh. 27 - Prob. 87ECh. 27 - What is the difference between a black hole's...Ch. 27 - Prob. 89ECh. 27 - Prob. 90ECh. 27 - Prob. 91ECh. 27 - Are there galaxies other than the Milky Way that...Ch. 27 - Prob. 93ECh. 27 - Prob. 94ECh. 27 - Draw an analogy between a galaxy and a forest.Ch. 27 - Draw an analogy between a galaxy and a swarm of...Ch. 27 - Compare and contrast astronomy and astrology.Ch. 27 - Project what human civilization would be like if...Ch. 27 - Prob. 99DQCh. 27 - Why is it important to have a science-based...Ch. 27 - Choose the BEST answer to each of the following....Ch. 27 - Prob. 2RATCh. 27 - The star nearest Earth is (a) Proxima Centauri....Ch. 27 - Prob. 4RATCh. 27 - Prob. 5RATCh. 27 - Prob. 6RATCh. 27 - Prob. 7RATCh. 27 - A black hole is (a) an empty region of space with...Ch. 27 - Prob. 9RATCh. 27 - Prob. 10RAT
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Find more solutions based on key concepts
The acceleration of the sled and child.
Physics (5th Edition)
The pV-diagram of the Carnot cycle.
Sears And Zemansky's University Physics With Modern Physics
A thin plate has a round hole whose diameter in its rest frame is D. The plate is parallel to the ground and mo...
Modern Physics
The position of a car in a drag race is measured each second, and the results are tabulated below. Time t (s) 0...
Essential University Physics (3rd Edition)
8. A 1000 kg car pushes a 2000 kg truck that has a dead battery. When the driver steps on the accelerator, the ...
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics (4th Edition)
Which statement is true.
College Physics: A Strategic Approach (3rd Edition)
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
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
- Find the Big Dipper in the star trails photograph on the left side of The Sky Around You.arrow_forwardUrsa Minor contains the pole star, Polaris, and the asterism known as the Little Dipper. From most locations in the Northern Hemisphere, all of the stars in Ursa Minor are circumpolar. Does that mean these stars are also above the horizon during the day? Explain.arrow_forwardArrange the following in order of increasing apparent brightness: Sirius; a full moon: Polaris; Venus; the Sun; the faintest star you can see without a telescopearrow_forward
- As seen from Earth, the Sun has an apparent magnitude of about 26.7 . What is the apparent magnitude of the Sun as seen from Saturn, about 10 AU away? (Remember that one AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun and that the brightness decreases as the inverse square of the distance.) Would the Sun still be the brightest star in the sky?arrow_forwardIf Sirius rises at 8:00 p.m. tonight, at what time will it rise tomorrow night, to the nearest minute? Explain.arrow_forwardParallaxes are measured in fractions of an arcsecond. One arcsecond equals 1/60 arcmin; an arcminute is, in turn, 1/60th of a degree (°). To get some idea of how big 1° is, go outside at night and find the Big Dipper. The two pointer stars at the ends of the bowl are 5.5° apart. The two stars across the top of the bowl are 10° apart. (Ten degrees is also about the width of your fist when held at arm’s length and projected against the sky.) Mizar, the second star from the end of the Big Dipper’s handle, appears double. The fainter star, Alcor, is about 12 arcmin from Mizar. For comparison, the diameter of the full moon is about 30 arcmin. The belt of Orion is about 3° long. Keeping all this in mind, why did it take until 1838 to make parallax measurements for even the nearest stars?arrow_forward
- The Sun is much closer to Earth than are the nearest stars, yet it is not possible to measure accurately the diurnal parallax of the Sun relative to the stars by measuring its position relative to background objects in the sky directly. Explain why.arrow_forwardThe star Antares has an apparent magnitude of 1.0, whereas the star Procyon has an apparent magnitude of 0.4. Which star appears brighter in the sky?arrow_forwardHow Do We Know? Why is astrology a pseudoscience?arrow_forward
- An eclipsing binary star system is observed with the following contact times for the main eclipse: each star in the system. The orbital velocity of the smaller star relative to the larger is 62,000 km/h. Determine the diameters for each star in the system.arrow_forwardHow does this radius of Sirius B compare with that of Earth?arrow_forwardThe nearest star to our solar system is 4.29 light years away. How much is thisdistance in terms of parsecs? How much parallax would this star (named Alpha Centauri) show when viewed from two locations of the Earth six months apart in its orbit around the Sun ?arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
AstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStax
Stars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399944
Author:Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
General Relativity: The Curvature of Spacetime; Author: Professor Dave Explains;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7V3koyL7Mc;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY