Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals
Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9780134988504
Author: Bennett, Jeffrey O., Donahue, M. (megan), SCHNEIDER, Nicholas, Voit, Mark
Publisher: Pearson,
bartleby

Concept explainers

bartleby

Videos

Textbook Question
Book Icon
Chapter 4, Problem 1QQ

Choose the best answer to each of the following. Explain your reasoning.

How many of the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction as Earth does? (a) a few. (b) most (c) all

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
To determine

Number of planets orbiting Sun in the same direction as Earth.

Answer to Problem 1QQ

Option (b) Most planets possess same direction of motion as Earth does, revolving around the sun.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Rotational motion possessed by any planet but in the direction opposite to that of the center(sun) is called retrograde motion and when a planet or satellite possesses same rotational direction of motion with its reference point (sun) is called prograde motion.

The direction of motion of the sun is counterclockwise like most of the planets except Uranus and Venus when observed from a high point of the North Pole of the solar system. Earth possesses prograde motion and the planets Venus and Uranus possess retrograde motion. Apart from these two planets, every planet rotates in a direction same as the Earth. The retrograde motion of Venus and Uranus is due to an asteroid hit which occurred billions of years ago.This caused the Uranus to be tilted with an angle of 900 from its orbital axis due to which it possesses prograde motion.

Hence, all the planets beside Uranus and Venus rotate in direction same as Earth.

Conclusion:

Most planets possess the same direction of motion as Earth does, circling around the sun.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
Can please solve question 4 and 5 explaining step by step on a picture please, thanks. all the information it's on the first picture. where Uk= 1/2K((x2)^2-(x1)^2)) and Ug= mg(x2-x1) and K is the slope and in this case is 7.99 N/m. I think this is enough information to solve this thank you. Just post the picute of all the step you did to solve it.
Problem 2. Planetary Body Composition:  Density (Links to an external site.) of the Earth  (Palen, et. al., 1st Edition,  Chapter 6, problem 70) Earth’s mean (Links to an external site.) radius is 6,378 km and its mass is 5.97 x 1024 kg. CALCULATE Earth’s average (Links to an external site.) density. SHOW YOUR WORK. DO NOT LOOK UP THIS VALUE! The average density of Earth’s crust is 2,600 kg/m3. What does this tell you about Earth’s interior?
The table below presents the semi-major axis (a) and Actual orbital period for all of the major planets in the solar system. Cube for each planet the semi-major axis in Astronomical Units. Then take the square root of this number to get the Calculated orbital period of each planet. Fill in the final row of data for each planet.                               Table of Data for Kepler’s Third Law: Table of Data for Kepler’s Third Law:   Planet              aau = Semi-Major Axis (AU)   Actual Planet      Calculated Planet                                                                         Period (Yr)            Period (Yr) __________   ______________________   ___________    ________________ Mercury                      0.39                                0.24 Venus                         0.72                                0.62 Earth                          1.00                                1.00 Mars                           1.52                                1.88 Jupiter…

Additional Science Textbook Solutions

Find more solutions based on key concepts
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Physics
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
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
  • Text book image
    The Solar System
    Physics
    ISBN:9781305804562
    Author:Seeds
    Publisher:Cengage
    Text book image
    Stars and Galaxies
    Physics
    ISBN:9781305120785
    Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
The Solar System
Physics
ISBN:9781305804562
Author:Seeds
Publisher:Cengage
Text book image
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
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