Astronomy
Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Chapter 7, Problem 1E

Venus rotates backward and Uranus and Pluto spin about an axis tipped nearly on its side. Based on what you learned about the motion of small bodies in the solar system and the surfaces of the planets, what might be the cause of these strange rotations?

Expert Solution & Answer
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To determine

The reason for the strange rotations of different planets of the solar system.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

In the solar system, the planets have their revolution around the sun in their own fixed path which is nearly circular. This path of rotation of the planets around the sun is called orbit of that planet. Each planet has its own orbit. Each of the planets rotate about an axis running through it, and the direction of rotation is same to the direction of rotation of the Sun as in most of the cases with the exception of planets like Venus, Uranus, and Pluto.

The Venus rotates backward very slowly and, Uranus and Pluto also have the strange rotations in which each spins about an axis tipped nearly on its side. The possible reason for these strange rotations can be the tilted axis of these planets by some degree. The other possible reason can be the impact by the asteroids during the early stage of the creation of these planets.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the possible reason behind strange rotations ofVenus is that it rotates backward. Uranus and Pluto spins about an axis tipped nearly on its side. This may be due to the impact by the asteroids during the early stages of the creation of these planets,which explains the tilting of the axis of these planets by some degree.

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Tutorial Based on the orbital properties of Uranus, how far across the sky in arc seconds does it travel in one Earth day? The average orbital radius is 2.88 x 109 km and the period is 84.0 years. (Assume Uranus and the Earth are at the closest point to one another in their orbits.) How many full Moons does this distance cover if the Moon has an angular diameter of 0.5 degrees? Part 1 of 4 We first need to determine how fast the planet is moving across the sky. If we know the period and the distance between the Sun and the planet we can calculate the velocity using: 2ar which will tell us how many kilometers the planet travels in a day if we convert the period into days. days = (P years' |days/year Pdays days Submit Skip (you cannot come back)

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