Essential Cosmic Perspective
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780135795033
Author: Bennett
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Videos
Textbook Question
Chapter 2, Problem 4VSC
The diagram exaggerates the sizes of Earth and the Sun relative to the orbit. If Earth were correctly scaled relative to the orbit in the figure, how big would it be?
a. about half the size shown
b. about 2 millimeters across
c. about 0.1 millimeter across
d. microscopic
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solution
Students have asked these similar questions
The distance from the earth to the moon is approximately 240,000 miles.What is this distance expressed in scientific notation?
a. 24 × 104b. 240 × 103c. 2.4 × 105d. 2.4 × 10-5
BACKGROUND
An ingenious solution to the Earth's circumference occured in 230 BC. Eratosthenes, a Greek
geographer, mathematician, music theorist, poet, astronomer, and philosopher, was reading in the
Library of Alexandria when he noticed an account for a deep well near Syene (now Aswan),
some distance to the south (800 km) in which at high noon on the longest day of the year the
bottom of the well was fully illuminated by the Sun. Eratosthenes exclaimed "Ah-ah!" (or
something like that), "I can solve for the circumference of the Earth!". In his mind's eye,
Eratosthenes could see that at Syene, at the moment when the bottom of the well was fully lit, the
Sun must have been at the Zenith (directly overhead). Yet he knew that at the same moment in
Alexandria vertical objects (like a tower, pole) cast shadows.
Here is the experiment perfomed by Eratosthenes (see the picture below).
• He erected a vertical pole at Alexandria (A) and measured the angle of its shadow at the
moment when the…
1. What is an astronomical unit (AU)? How many meters is one AU?
2. How many seconds are in one year?
3. Are the planets accelerating as they orbit the Sun? If so, what force is acting on them to cause the acceleration? Be specific.
Chapter 2 Solutions
Essential Cosmic Perspective
Ch. 2 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 2 - Which of the four labeled points represents the...Ch. 2 - Which of the four labeled points represents the...Ch. 2 - The diagram exaggerates the sizes of Earth and the...Ch. 2 - Given that Earths actual distance from the Sun...Ch. 2 - As viewed from Earth, in which zodiac...Ch. 2 - If the date is April 21, what zodiac constellation...Ch. 2 - If the date is April 21, what zodiac constellation...Ch. 2 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 2 - Suppose you were making a model of the celestial...
Ch. 2 - On a clear, dark night, the sky may appear to be...Ch. 2 - Why does the local sky look like a dome? Define...Ch. 2 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 2 - What are circumpolar stars? Are more stars...Ch. 2 - What are latitude and longitude? Does the local...Ch. 2 - What is the zodiac, and why do we see different...Ch. 2 - Suppose Earth’s axis had no tilt. Would we still...Ch. 2 - Briefly describe key facts about the solstices and...Ch. 2 - What is precession? How does it affect our view of...Ch. 2 - Briefly describe the Moons cycle of phases. Can...Ch. 2 - Why do we always see the same face of the Moon?Ch. 2 - Why don’t we see an eclipse at every new and full...Ch. 2 - What do we mean by the apparent retrograde motion...Ch. 2 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Decide whether the statement makes sense (or is...Ch. 2 - Two stars that are in the same constellation (a)...Ch. 2 - The north celestial pole is 35° above your...Ch. 2 - Beijing and Philadelphia have about the same...Ch. 2 - In winter, Earth’s axis points toward the star...Ch. 2 - When it is summer in Australia, the season in the...Ch. 2 - If the Sun rises precisely due east. (a) you must...Ch. 2 - A week after full moon, the Moon’s phase is (a)...Ch. 2 - The fact that we always see the same face of the...Ch. 2 - If there is going to be a total lunar eclipse...Ch. 2 - When we see Saturn going through a period of...Ch. 2 - Cultural Constellations. Many cultures have...Ch. 2 - Group Discussion: Sharing the Sky. Astronomers...Ch. 2 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - These questions may be answered individually in...Ch. 2 - New Planet. A planet in another solar system has a...Ch. 2 - Your View of the Sky. a. What are your latitude...Ch. 2 - View from the Moon. Suppose you lived on the Moon,...Ch. 2 - View from the Sun. Suppose you lived on the Sun...Ch. 2 - Farther Moon. Suppose the distance to the Moon...Ch. 2 - Smaller Earth. Suppose Earth were smaller. Would...Ch. 2 - Project: Eclipse Trip. Find details about a future...Ch. 2 - Be sure to show all calculations clearly and state...Ch. 2 - Find the Sun’s Diameter. The Sun has an angular...Ch. 2 - Prob. 54EAPCh. 2 - Prob. 55EAP
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
- How Do We Know? Describe the differences between a hypothesis, a theory, and a law. Give an example of each.arrow_forwardWhich statement describes the sun's position relative to planetary orbits? A. The sun is at the center of each planet's circular orbit. B. The sun is midway between the foci of each planet's elliptical orbit. C. The sun is one focus of each planet's elliptical orbit. D. The sun alternates between the two foci of planetary orbits.arrow_forwardany scale model for solar system the sun is represented by an object that is 4.5 feet in the diameter how large would a scale earth need to be in feet in this modelarrow_forward
- a method for determining the sizes of the orbits of pl from the sun than Earth. His method involved noting of days between the times that a planet was in the pc A and B in the diagram. Using this time and the num each planet's year, he calculated c and d. a. For Mars, c= 55.2 and d= 103.8. How far is Mars in astronomical units (AU)? One astronomical un the average distance from Earth to the center of th 93 million miles. b. For Jupiter, c 21.9 and d= 100.8. How far is Jup %3D sun in astronomical units? lo olpno er ort to rt .onte eteem-21 o to bre e ne ern 100 o ho aotem t elbl erl pnibioda lert pribiortarrow_forwardIt is important to have an idea about the distances between and relative sizes of celestial objects in the solar system. In Part 1 we will pretend to shrink the solar system until its center piece, the Sun, is 67.3 cm in diameter. This will represent the Sun which is 1,390,000 km in diameter. The scale of our model is thus: 67.3 cm = 4.84 x 10-5 cm km Scale 1, 390, 000 km To find the size or distance between objects in centimeters for the model, simply multiply the actual size or distance in kilometers by the scale factor above. 1. Fill in following table: Quantity Actual Distance (km) Model Distance (cm) Diameter of Sun 1,390,000 Diameter of Earth 12,760 Diameter of Moon 3,480 Distance Between Earth and Sun 1.5 x 108 Distance Between Earth and Moon 384,000 Distance to Proxima Centauri 3.97 x 1013arrow_forward1) Thinking about the Scale of the Solar System As we discuss in class, the radius of the Earth is approximately 6370 km. The Sun, on the other hand, is approximately 700,000 km in radius and located, on average, one astronomical unit (1 au=1.5x108 km) from the Earth. Imagine that you stand near Mansueto Library, at the corner of 57th and Ellis. You hold a standard desk globe, which has a diameter of 12 inches, and you want to build a model of the Sun, Earth, and their separation that keeps all sizes and lengths in proportion to one another. a) How big would the Sun be in this scale model? Give your answer in feet and meters.arrow_forward
- Which of the following numbers is a reasonable number for someone's height in AU. Select one or more: a. 1.5 X10^(-20) AU Ob. 1.5 AU c. 1.5 X 10^(6) AU C. Od. 1.5 X10^(-15) AUarrow_forwardShow your complete and detailed solution. Round off your answers to 4 decimal digits and box your final answers.arrow_forwardOne astronomical unit (AU) is defined as the average distance between Earth and the Sun, approximately 149,500,000 kilometers (km). What is the distance in AU between the Sun and Mercury, which is 58,000,000km from the Sun? a.2.58 b.0.4 c.388.0 d.3.9arrow_forward
- Assume you live on the Moon near the center of the face that looks toward Earth. a. If you saw a full Earth in your sky, what phase of the Moon would people on Earth see? Draw a diagram. b. If people on Earth saw a full moon, what phase would you see for Earth? Draw a diagram. c. If people on Earth saw a waxing gibbous moon, what phase would you see for Earth? Draw a diagram. d. If people on Earth were viewing a total lunar eclipse, what would you see from your home on the Moon? Draw a diagram. Why were the main reasons why the idea that the Earth was at the center of the universe lasted so long? Discuss in 2 paragraphs the observations made by Galileo that disproved Geocentrism. Which one do you think was the most important? Write down a hypothesis and observational experiment to test one of Newton’s laws of motion. EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING! One of the first exoplanets discovered orbits the star 51 Pegasi with a period of just 4.2 days. 51 Pegasi is very similar to the Sun. Use Kepler’s…arrow_forwardWrite the correct numerals for the following situations: Example: You have two decimeters, and one meter (in meters) = 1.2m a. You have two kilograms, four decagrams, and three grams (in grams) b. You have three hectoliters, two centiliters, and one microliter (in liters) c. You have three centimeters, two decimeters, and one millimeter (in meters) d. You have one kilogram, three decagrams, and two decigrams (in grams) e. You have four kilocalories and six Calories (in calories)arrow_forwardHow Do We know? How can a scientific model be useful if it isn’t a correct description of nature?arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...PhysicsISBN:9781305960961Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
AstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStax
An Introduction to Physical SciencePhysicsISBN:9781305079137Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar TorresPublisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...
Physics
ISBN:9781305960961
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax
An Introduction to Physical Science
Physics
ISBN:9781305079137
Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar Torres
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