Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 13, Problem 12E
Describe the origin and eventual fate of the comets we see from Earth.
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Which of the following is least reasonable regarding comets?
Group of answer choices
Short-period comets originate in the Kuiper belt and take less than than about 200 years to orbit the Sun.
Long-period comets originate in the Oort cloud and can take millions of years to orbit around the Sun, in randomly oriented orbital planes.
The ion tail of a comet tends to produce a blue glow, as the ions inside it absorb sunlight and re-emit the absorbed energy with a characteristic color (somewhat like the gas atoms in a neon light or in an Aurora).
An ion tail is typically narrow and straight and always trails the comet, like long hair in the wind.
The dust tail of a comet often looks curved and its whitish color is just reflected sunlight.
Describe the relationship between meteor showers and comets.
Why do meteor showers occur about on the same day each year?
Originally thought to be the realm of comets, over the past two decades we discovered that the Kuiper Belt region hosts also many other objects similar in size to Pluto (Figure 22).
This seems to imply that there are two completely different types of objects in the region.
Do you think that both types of objects formed in this region, or some of these may have migrated to this region at a later time? Briefly explain your reasoning.
Chapter 13 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 13 - Why are asteroids and comets important to our...Ch. 13 - Give a brief description of the asteroid belt.Ch. 13 - Describe the main differences between C-type and...Ch. 13 - In addition to the ones mentioned in Exercise...Ch. 13 - Vesta is unusual as it contains what mineral on...Ch. 13 - Compare asteroids of the asteroid belt with...Ch. 13 - Briefly describe NASA’s Spaceguard Survey. How...Ch. 13 - Who first calculated the orbits of comets based on...Ch. 13 - Describe the nucleus of a typical comet and...Ch. 13 - Describe the two types of comet tails and how each...
Ch. 13 - What classification is given to objects such as...Ch. 13 - Describe the origin and eventual fate of the...Ch. 13 - What evidence do we have for the existence of the...Ch. 13 - Give brief descriptions of both the Kuiper belt...Ch. 13 - Give at least two reasons today’s astronomers are...Ch. 13 - Suppose you were designing a spacecraft that would...Ch. 13 - Suppose you were designing a spacecraft that would...Ch. 13 - Suppose a comet were discovered approaching the...Ch. 13 - We believe that chains of comet fragments like...Ch. 13 - Why have we found so many objects in the Kuiper...Ch. 13 - Why is it hard to give exact diameters for even...Ch. 13 - Refer to Example 13.1. How would the calculation...Ch. 13 - Refer to Example 13.1. How would the calculation...Ch. 13 - The calculation in Example 13.1 refers to the...Ch. 13 - If the Oort cloud contains 1012 comets, and ten...Ch. 13 - The mass of the asteroids is found mostly in the...Ch. 13 - Make a similar estimate for the mass of the Kuiper...Ch. 13 - What is the period of revolution about the Sun for...Ch. 13 - What is the period of revolution for a comet with...
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- Describe the two types of comet tails and how each are formed.arrow_forwardFor centuries, astronomers wondered whether comets were true celestial objects, like the planets and stars, or a phenomenon that occurred in the atmosphere of Earth. Describe an experiment to determine which of these two possibilities is correct.arrow_forwardGive brief descriptions of both the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud.arrow_forward
- Tutorial You observe a comet 0.32 AU from Earth with a tail that is 1.7 degrees long. How long is the tail in AU? How long is the tail in kilometers? How many times could the U.S. fit along the length of the tail? (The width of the U.S. is 4,313 km.) Part 1 of 3 You observe a comet 0.32 AU from Earth with a tail that is 1.7 degrees long. How long is the tail in AU? We use the small angle formula to calculate the length of the tail in AU. arc seconds d Ꮎ 2.06 x 105 D Solving for the linear distance gives: dAU = DAU dAU = = AU arc seconds 2.06 x 105arrow_forwardWhy do we see comet Halley only every 76 years? Explain your reasoning.arrow_forwardThe Solar Nebula model introduces the concept of ‘frost line’. Where are asteroids and comets found with respect to this frost line? How is their location connected to their composition?arrow_forward
- Explain the three dimensional equations of motion of the comet?arrow_forwardGM What is the orbital velocity and period of a ring particle at the outer edge of Saturn's A ring? (Note: The radius of the edge of the A ring is 136,500 km. Hint: Use the formula for orbital velocity, V. = v orbital velocity km/s period hrarrow_forwardExplain how meteor showers are linked to comets. Why do meteor showers recur at about the same time every year?arrow_forward
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