Essential Cosmic Perspective
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780135795033
Author: Bennett
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 6, Problem 35EAP
Group Discussion: Who Named the Planets? The names of the five planets that can be seen with the naked eye have been in use in the western world for thousands of years. However, beginning with the discover-ies of Uranus in 1781 and Neptune in 1846, scientists needed to find names for planets and other newly discovered objects.
a. Working in small groups, find out how Uranus and Neptune came to have their current names in English. Do you think these name choices made sense? Do you think the process that led to these names was “fair”? Why or why not?
b. Each member of your group should learn about the names of Uranus and Neptune in two other languages, at least one of which is non-European. Discuss the similarities and differences you find among the names in different languages.
c. Find out what names were considered for Pluto after its discov-ery in 1930, who suggested the name “Pluto,” and how it came to be official. Are you surprised about who suggested the name?
d. Find out how newly discovered objects (such as moons and asteroids) and surface features (such as those recently identi-fied on Mars, Ceres, and Pluto) get their official names today. Do you think this process is appropriate? Make a list of other possibilities that might be considered (for example, allowing the discoverers to choose names or choosing through public, online competitions). If your group were in charge, would you change the current naming process in any way?
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The planet Uranus was discovered in 1781, and Neptune, the next planet outward from the Sun, was discovered in 1846. Imagine you're an astronomer in 1846, and you start wondering if there's another planet out beyond Neptune. You decide to try and discover its existence using the same method that was used for Neptune. How will you do this?
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You'll recruit a large number of astronomers to use their telescopes to carefully scan the sky in directions that are far from the ecliptic. The regions around the north and south celestial poles will probably be the best "hunting grounds" for the new planet.
You'll examine Uranus and Neptune very carefully, on every clear night, for several years, to see if you can find any evidence that sunlight has been reflected off of the `new' planet, then off of Uranus or Neptune, before arriving on Earth.
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1. What do we call the process by which sunlight causes chemical reactions, forming (among other things) the compounds that color the clouds of Jupiter and Saturn?
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Chapter 6 Solutions
Essential Cosmic Perspective
Ch. 6 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 6 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 6 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 6 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 2EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 3EAPCh. 6 - What are the basic differences between terrestrial...Ch. 6 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 6EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 7EAP
Ch. 6 - Describe the four categories of materials in the...Ch. 6 - Prob. 9EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 10EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 11EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 12EAPCh. 6 - What is the leading hypothesis for the Moon’s...Ch. 6 - Prob. 14EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 15EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 17EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 24EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 25EAPCh. 6 - The nebular theory holds that (a) our solar system...Ch. 6 - Prob. 27EAPCh. 6 - Which of the following did not occur during the...Ch. 6 - Prob. 29EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 30EAPCh. 6 - Leftover ice-rich planetesimals are called (a)...Ch. 6 - Prob. 32EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 33EAPCh. 6 - Prob. 34EAPCh. 6 - Group Discussion: Who Named the Planets? The names...Ch. 6 - Planetary Priorities. Suppose you were in charge...Ch. 6 - Explaining the Past. Test the nebular theory...Ch. 6 - Unanswered Questions. As discussed in this...Ch. 6 - Group Activity: A Cold Solar Nebula. The excess...Ch. 6 - True or False. Decide whether each statement is...Ch. 6 - Planetary Tour. Based on the brief planetary tour...Ch. 6 - Patterns of Motion. In one or two paragraphs,...Ch. 6 - Solar System Trends. Study the planetary data in...Ch. 6 - 42. Two Kinds of Planets. The jovian planets...Ch. 6 - An Early Solar Wind. Suppose the solar wind had...Ch. 6 - History of the Elements. Our bodies (arid most...Ch. 6 - Rocks from Other Solar Systems. Many leftovers’...Ch. 6 - Current Spacecraft Mission. Find a list of current...Ch. 6 - Prob. 50EAPCh. 6 - Lucky to Be Here? Considering the overall process...Ch. 6 - Radiometric Dating. You are dating rocks by their...Ch. 6 - Lunar Rocks. You are dating Moon rocks based on...Ch. 6 - Carbon-14 Dating. The half-life of carbori-14 s...Ch. 6 - What Are the Odds? The fact that all the planets...
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