Concept explainers
The evidence that suggests human observed astronomical phenomena.
Answer to Problem 1RQ
The alignment of buildings, festivals based on season, worship solar and lunar deity and the Mayan manuscripts are some of the evidences that suggest human observed astronomical phenomena.
Explanation of Solution
There are several evidences exists which support observation of astronomical phenomena by early people. The alignment of buildings at that time was based on observable celestial phenomenon. Most of the tombs are oriented towards the rising sun. Some of the alignments are severed the purpose of an annual calendar.
Celestial bodies are observed by early people for ceremonial purposes, for celebrating religious festivals. Evidences are also obtained from art works such as petroglyphs, and pictographs depicting astronomical events and object.
Mayan manuscripts are another important evidence and most helpful astronomical reference. Even though most of the books are being burned by Spanish missionaries, the survived four books contain information about motion of Venus, and eclipses of Moon.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the alignment of buildings, festivals based on season, worship solar and lunar deity and the Mayan manuscripts are some of the evidences that suggest human observed astronomical phenomena.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 4 Solutions
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
- Why did early human cultures observe astronomical phenomena? Was it for scientific research?arrow_forwardHow Do We Know? Why must a scientific argument dealing with some aspect of nature take all of the known evidence into account?arrow_forwardHow Do We Know? How can a scientific model be useful if it is not a true description of nature?arrow_forward
- Why do you think so many people still believe in astrology and spend money on it? What psychological needs does such a belief system satisfy?arrow_forwardWhat evidence (i.e., predictions and observations) might change scientists’ minds about astrology?arrow_forwardIf the sun suddenly ceased to shine, how long would it take earth to become dark? a) Using the formula d = s x t , where d=distance , s= speed, and t = time, rearrange the terms to solve for time. b) Given the distance to the Sun is 93 million miles ( 1.5 x 10^11 m) and the speed of light is c= 3 x 10^8 m/s) use this information to find out how many SECONDS it takes light to reach earth. c) Convert your answer for b) to Minutes and remaining seconds.arrow_forward
- Use the equation E = mc^2 where E is energy in Joules (J), m is mass in kilograms (kg) and c is the speed of light 3 x 10^8 m/s to answer the following: a) One ton of TNT releases 4.18 gigajoules of energy. The metric prefix giga means billion. a) How much mass would be required to release an equivalent amount of energy? b) How much energy (J) is equivalent to 1 kilogram of mass?arrow_forwardA planet was recently discovered orbiting the star Proxima Centauri, with an orbital radius of 0.05 AU. As seen from Earth, what is the maximum angular separation between this planet and Proxima Centauri, in arcseconds? The distance to Proxima Centauri is 4.24 light-years.arrow_forwardUse Kepler's 3rd Law and the small angle approximation. a) An object is located in the solar system at a distance from the Sun equal to 41 AU's . What is the objects orbital period? b) An object seen in a telescope has an angular diameter equivalent to 41 (in units of arc seconds). What is its linear diameter if the object is 250 million km from you? Draw a labeled diagram of this situation.arrow_forward
- Write the following measurements in scientific notation. All answers should be written up to hundredths place. Follow the rules in rounding off numbers. Quantity Measurement Scientific notation 1. diameter of the sun 1391400 km 2. Speed of light 2997792458 m/s 3. distance of the earth from the sun 149597870700 m 4. size of bacteria 0.0005 m 5. diameter of proton 0.000 000 000 001 mmarrow_forwardOn February 28, 2010, Earth was equidistant from the spacecraft Dawn and the Sun, forming an isosceles triangle. The distance from Earth to Dawn and Earth to the Sun was 0.99 AU (astronomical units). The distance from Dawn to the Sun was 1.84 AU. a) Draw a diagram to show Dawn, Earth, and the Sun. b) Determine the angle between the sight lines from Earth to Dawn and the Sun.arrow_forwardQuestion 4 pleasearrow_forward
- Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningStars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Stars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningAstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStax