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Pathways to Astronomy

Stephen E. Schneider

Chapter 10

Geometry of the Earth, Moon, and Sun - all with Video Answers

Educators


Chapter Questions

02:54

Problem 1

On average, Mercury is 0.387 times Earth's distance from the Sun, and Pluto is 39.53 times Earth's distance from the Sun. What is the Sun's angular diameter as seen from Mercury? from Pluto?

James Kiss
James Kiss
Numerade Educator
00:27

Problem 2

Suppose you are an alien living on the fictitious warlike planet Myrmidon and you want to measure its size. The Sun is shining directly down a missile silo 1000 miles to your south, while at your location the Sun is $36^{\circ}$ from straight overhead. What is the circumference of Myrmidon? What is its radius?

Mayukh Banik
Mayukh Banik
Numerade Educator
01:49

Problem 3

A cloud directly above you is about $10^{\circ}$ across. From the weather report you know that the cloud is $2,200 \mathrm{m}$ high. How wide is the cloud?

Tom Greenwood
Tom Greenwood
Numerade Educator
00:39

Problem 4

The great galaxy in Andromeda has an angular diameter along its long axis of about $5^{\circ}$. Its distance is about 2.2 million light years. What is its linear diameter?

Mayukh Banik
Mayukh Banik
Numerade Educator
01:54

Problem 5

Suppose you see a person whom you know is $1.8 \mathrm{m}(6.0 \mathrm{ft})$ tall, standing at a distance where he appears to have an angular height of $2^{\circ} .$ How far away is he?

Benjamin Chaback
Benjamin Chaback
Numerade Educator
03:28

Problem 6

Aristarchus's critics argued that parallax was not observed and therefore the Earth could not be in motion. In fact we know now that the stars are very far away and parallax motion is very small. Let's examine this by estimating the change in angular size of the angular separation between two stars 10 light-years away from the Sun. The two stars are 3 light-years apart. Calculate the angular separation of the two stars when the Earth is closest to them in its orbit and when it is farthest away, on the opposite point on its orbit. If human vision (without the aid of a telescope) can at best distinguish a difference of about $0.02^{\circ},$ would the change in angular separation be detectable to the naked eye?

Tommy Erdos
Tommy Erdos
Numerade Educator