Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 3, Problem 28TYU
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Decide whether the statement made by Astronomers is reasonable or not.
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A star with mass 1.05 M has a luminosity of 4.49 × 1026 W and effective temperature of 5700 K. It dims to 4.42 × 1026 W every 1.39 Earth days due to a transiting exoplanet. The duration of the transit reveals that the exoplanet orbits at a distance of 0.0617 AU. Based on this information, calculate the radius of the planet (expressed in Jupiter radii) and the minimum inclination of its orbit to our line of sight.
Follow up observations of the star in part reveal that a spectral feature with a rest wavelength of 656 nm is redshifted by 1.41×10−3 nm with the same period as the observed transit. Assuming a circular orbit what can be inferred about the planet’s mass (expressed in Jupiter masses)?
One way that astronomers detect planets outside of our solar system (called exoplanets) is commonly referred to as the radial velocity method. This relies on the __________ ___________ to cause shifts in the spectral lines of stars as the stars perform tiny orbits around the center of mass of the host star and its orbiting planets. Those tiny orbits cause the stars to periodically (and therefore predictably) move closer to and further away from our solar system. Luckily, this method only relies on the motion of the star; its physical distance from us does not impact the resulting shifts.
The microlensing technique for detecting extrasolar planets involves obtaining OBSERVING
brightness measurements of a star and identifying brief, periodic dips in its brightness
infrared images of a planet with the light from its host star blocked out
a spectrum of a star and identifying periodic wavelength shifts in its features
brightness measurements of a star and identifying a brief magnification in its brightness
a spectrum of an extrasolar planet and identifying elements and compounds present in its atmosphere
Chapter 3 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 3 - List three major ideas of astronomy that help...Ch. 3 - Briefly define and describe each of the various...Ch. 3 - Describe the solar system as it looks on the...Ch. 3 - Prob. 4RQCh. 3 - Prob. 5RQCh. 3 - Prob. 6RQCh. 3 - Prob. 7RQCh. 3 - What do we mean when we say that Earth and life...Ch. 3 - Imagine describing the cosmic calendar to a...Ch. 3 - Prob. 10RQ
Ch. 3 - Prob. 11RQCh. 3 - Prob. 12RQCh. 3 - What is the difference between matter in the...Ch. 3 - Define and give examples of kinetic energy,...Ch. 3 - Prob. 15RQCh. 3 - Prob. 16RQCh. 3 - Briefly describe the four major features of our...Ch. 3 - Briefly describe the nebular theory and how it...Ch. 3 - What was the close encounter hypothesis for our...Ch. 3 - How have recent discoveries led scientists to...Ch. 3 - Prob. 21TYUCh. 3 - At a middle school talent show, 14-year-old Sam...Ch. 3 - SETI researchers announced today that if they...Ch. 3 - A noted physicist today announced that he has...Ch. 3 - Prob. 25TYUCh. 3 - Astronomers have discovered a galaxy in the far...Ch. 3 - Inventor John Johnson has patented a device that...Ch. 3 - Prob. 28TYUCh. 3 - Prob. 29TYUCh. 3 - Using new, powerful telescopes, biologists today...Ch. 3 - Prob. 31TYUCh. 3 - Prob. 32TYUCh. 3 - A television advertisement claiming that a product...Ch. 3 - When we say the universe is expanding, we mean...Ch. 3 - Prob. 35TYUCh. 3 - The age of our solar system is about (a) one-third...Ch. 3 - Prob. 37TYUCh. 3 - How many of the planets orbit the Sun in the same...Ch. 3 - Prob. 39TYUCh. 3 - Prob. 40TYUCh. 3 - Explaining the Past. Is it really possible for...Ch. 3 - A Strange Star System. Suppose that we discovered...Ch. 3 - Prob. 44IFCh. 3 - Alien Technology. Some people believe that Earth...Ch. 3 - Atomic Terminology Practice. a. The most common...Ch. 3 - Prob. 49IFCh. 3 - Prob. 50IFCh. 3 - Patterns of Motion. In one or two paragraphs,...Ch. 3 - Two Kinds of Planets. The jovian planets differ...Ch. 3 - Pluto and Eris. How does the nebular theory...Ch. 3 - Rocks from Other Solar Systems. Many leftovers...Ch. 3 - Prob. 55IFCh. 3 - Prob. 56IFCh. 3 - Scale of the Solar System. The real diameters of...Ch. 3 - Prob. 58IFCh. 3 - Prob. 59IFCh. 3 - Prob. 60IFCh. 3 - Prob. 61IFCh. 3 - Prob. 62IFCh. 3 - Prob. 63IFCh. 3 - Prob. 67WPCh. 3 - Tour of the Solar System. Visit one of the many...
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- Suppose that stars were born at random times over the last 1010 years. The rate of star formation is simply the number of stars divided by 1010 years. The fraction of stars with detected extrasolar planets is at least 10 %. The rate of star formation can be multiplied by this fraction to find the rate planet formation. How often (in years) does a planetary system form in our galaxy? Assume the Milky Way contains 9 × 1011 stars.arrow_forwardThe NASA Kepler mission detected a transiting planet that blocks 1.3% of the stars light and the host star has a radius 82% of the Sun's radius (the Sun has a radius of 700,000 km) what is the radius of the exosolar planet in km?arrow_forwardSuppose we find an Earth-like planet around one of our nearest stellar neighbors, Alpha Centauri (located only 4.4 light-years away). If we launched a "generation ship" at a constant speed of 1500.00 km/s from Earth with a group of people whose descendants will explore and colonize this planet, how many years before the generation ship reached Alpha Centauri? (Note there are 9.46 ××1012 km in a light-year and 31.6 million seconds in a year.arrow_forward
- Time From this light curve, we can deduce that... O the star has a high mass exoplanet orbiting it O the star has an exoplanet orbiting it that has an eccentric orbit O the star has an exoplanet orbiting it that has an eccentric orbit O the star has an exoplanet that is not on the same orbital plane as the star L Brightnessarrow_forwardthe co te on Pictor. The 270 TOI System TOI 270 c Earth 365-day orbit $1 AU from Sun Habitable 5.7-day orbit 0.05 AU $2.4 Earth radii Largest in system 59 F, 15 C 300 F, 150 C TOI 270 TOI 270 d M3-type dwarf star TOI 270 b $11.4-day orbit 0.07 AU 3.4-day orbit 2.1 Earth radii 0.03 AU Temperate 1.25 Earth radii Likely rocky 150 F. 67 C 490 F. 254 C Figure taken from https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1593/tess-scores-hat-trick-with-3-new-worlds/ What makes the TOI-270 system particularly interesting is that the three exoplanets detected this far (there may be more) have sizes comparable to the Earth. Compare the orbital period of TOI 270 c and TOI 270 d. For every revolution that TOI 270 d makes around the host star TOI 270, how many revolutions does TOI 270 c make?arrow_forwardWhen astronomers found the first giant planets with orbits of only a few days, they did not know whether those planets were gaseous and liquid like Jupiter or rocky like Mercury. The observations of HD 209458 settled this question because observations of the transit of the star by this planet made it possible to determine the radius of the planet. Use the data given in the text to estimate the density of this planet, and then use that information to explain why it must be a gas giant.arrow_forward
- The Tully-Fischer method relies on being able to relate the mass of a galaxy to its rotation velocity. Stars in the outer-most regions of the Milky Way galaxy, located at a distance of 50 kpc from the galactic centre, are observed to orbit at a speed vrot = 250 km s−1. Using Kepler’s 3rd Law, determine the mass in the Milky Way that lies interior to 50 kpc. Express your answer in units of the Solar mass.arrow_forwardWhy are we unlikely to find Earth-like planets around halo stars in the Galaxy? A. Halo stars formed in a different way from disk stars. B. Planets around stars are known to be extremely rare. C. Halo stars formed in an environment where there were few heavy elements to create rocky planets. D. Halo stars do not have enough mass to hold onto planets. Is the answer C? Since halo stars are formed early when the galaxy consisted of mainly hydrogen and helium, there are no heavier elements available to create Earth-like planets so just halo stars are formed? Thanks!arrow_forwardWhite Dwarf Size II. The white dwarf, Sirius B, contains 0.98 solar mass, and its density is about 2 x 106 g/cm?. Find the radius of the white dwarf in km to three significant digits. (Hint: Density = mass/volume, and the volume of a 4 sphere is Tr.) 3 km Compare your answer with the radii of the planets listed in the Table A-10. Which planet is this white dwarf is closely equal to in size? I Table A-10 I Properties of the Planets ORBITAL PROPERTIES Semimajor Axis (a) Orbital Period (P) Average Orbital Velocity (km/s) Orbital Inclination Planet (AU) (106 km) (v) (days) Eccentricity to Ecliptic Mercury 0.387 57.9 0.241 88.0 47.9 0.206 7.0° Venus 0.723 108 0.615 224.7 35.0 0.007 3.4° Earth 1.00 150 1.00 365.3 29.8 0.017 Mars 1.52 228 1.88 687.0 24.1 0.093 1.8° Jupiter 5.20 779 11.9 4332 13.1 0.049 1.30 Saturn 9.58 1433 29.5 10,759 9.7 0.056 2.5° 30,799 60,190 Uranus 19.23 2877 84.3 6.8 0.044 0.8° Neptune * By definition. 30.10 4503 164.8 5.4 0.011 1.8° PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (Earth = e)…arrow_forward
- The Sloan Digital Sky Survey O searches to see whether extra-terrestrial civilizations are sending any digitally recorded music our way O searches for Trans-Neptunian objects, small icy bodies in the outer solar system, whose orbits sometimes resemble Pluto's O takes images and spectra of millions of objects, to find the positions and redshifts of as many galaxies and quasars as possible J' O searches for planets around neighbor stars by looking for changing Doppler shifts in their spectra O searches for supernova remnants that could have pulsars inside and then try to find the pulsars F3 $ R F F4 V Q Search DII % 5 T F5 G ^ 6 B F6 Y H C F7 7 U 900 PrtScn N F8 J 8 Home F9 M P 9 K yapa End F10 O ) Pg 0 <arrow_forwardThe search for extrasolar planets fall broadly into two categories, what are they? Lensing and transits Astrometry and Doppler shifts Speckle imaging and interferometry Dust emission and radio bursts Direct and indirect detectionarrow_forwardG:06)arrow_forward
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