Astronomy Problems HELP * *

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In summary, astronomy and astrology are two distinct fields - while astronomy is a scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena, astrology is a belief system that claims to interpret the influence of celestial bodies on human affairs. Astronomers use various techniques such as parallax, standard candles, and redshift to measure distances in space. A black hole is an object with an extremely powerful gravitational pull, formed from the collapse of a massive star or the merger of two smaller black holes. Telescopes work by collecting and focusing light from distant objects, and the Big Bang theory is the widely accepted explanation for the origin of the universe.
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astronomystudent
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Astronomy Problems HELP * URGENT*

i am struggling with the following problems for my astronomy class.

1.) calculate the weight of a 91.0 kg (approx. 200 pounds at the surface of the earth) astronaut when his spaceship is at a point 51200.0 km above the Earth's center. also calculate his mass at that point in space.
(i don't know what formulas to use or how to start this problem)

2.) If the wavelength of a particular type of light is 10,000 nm, what is the frequency? What would be the temperature of an object that had this wavelength as its peak intensity? What part of the spectrum is it in?
frequency = 3 X10^13 Hz
temp = 300 Kelvin
spectrum = infrared
( NOT SURE IF RIGHT)

3.) suppose a student discovers a new asteroid named starbright which has a semimajor axis 884,404,000 km from the sun. what would be its period of rotation around the sun?
( i got 2.352 X10^12 days) not even sure how. what formulas do i used to do this problem? can someone show me an example?

4.) if Mars were 2.352 AU away from the Earth during the Mars rover sojourner mission how long did it take for radio messages to be sent round trip to Mars to Earth to mars? why did the sojourner have to be able to navigate with minimal guidancew from earth?
(once again i have no idea, i need help identifying what forumlas to use, how to get started)

5.) if the moon's distance from the Earth varies from 492,065 km to 276,743 km, what would be the eccentricity of the moon's orbit?
(NO IDEA)

6.) what is the speed of an object that produces a dopple shift of 1.234 nm for a normal wavelength of 10,000.00 nm ( observed wavelength of 10,001.234)? is it moving towards ore away from the observer?
(no idea)

i need help identifying what formulas to use, and how to solve these problems, correctly.
 
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  • #2
astronomystudent said:
1.) calculate the weight of a 91.0 kg (approx. 200 pounds at the surface of the earth) astronaut when his spaceship is at a point 51200.0 km above the Earth's center. also calculate his mass at that point in space.

What are the definitions of weight and mass? What are their units? It will help to know that:

[tex]g \propto \frac{1}{r^2}[/tex]

where g is the acceleration due to Earth's gravity and r is the distance from its center.


2.) If the wavelength of a particular type of light is 10,000 nm, what is the frequency? What would be the temperature of an object that had this wavelength as its peak intensity? What part of the spectrum is it in?
frequency = 3 X10^13 Hz
temp = 300 Kelvin
spectrum = infrared

Looks right.


3.) suppose a student discovers a new asteroid named starbright which has a semimajor axis 884,404,000 km from the sun. what would be its period of rotation around the sun?
( i got 2.352 X10^12 days) not even sure how.

Wow, that's a really long period (about the age of the universe). You might want to try Kepler's Third Law (that should be in your book, notes, or a google search).


4.) if Mars were 2.352 AU away from the Earth during the Mars rover sojourner mission how long did it take for radio messages to be sent round trip to Mars to Earth to mars? why did the sojourner have to be able to navigate with minimal guidancew from earth?

How are radio messages sent? At what speed do they travel?


5.) if the moon's distance from the Earth varies from 492,065 km to 276,743 km, what would be the eccentricity of the moon's orbit?
(NO IDEA)

Take a look at http://qonos.princeton.edu/nbond/ellipse1.gif diagram.


6.) what is the speed of an object that produces a dopple shift of 1.234 nm for a normal wavelength of 10,000.00 nm ( observed wavelength of 10,001.234)? is it moving towards ore away from the observer?
(no idea)

Look here
 
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  • #3


Dear student,

I understand that you are struggling with some astronomy problems and are not sure how to approach them. I am happy to help you with these problems.

For the first problem, you can use the formula for gravitational force, F = G(m1m2)/r^2, where G is the universal gravitational constant, m1 is the mass of the Earth, m2 is the mass of the astronaut, and r is the distance between the two objects. You can then use the formula for weight, W = mg, where m is the mass of the astronaut and g is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth. To calculate the mass at that point in space, you can use the formula for gravitational force, F = ma, where F is the gravitational force, m is the mass, and a is the acceleration due to gravity at that point in space.

For the second problem, you can use the formula for the speed of light, c = fλ, where c is the speed of light, f is the frequency, and λ is the wavelength. To find the temperature of an object with this wavelength as its peak intensity, you can use Wien's displacement law, λmax = b/T, where λmax is the wavelength at which the object emits the most radiation, T is the temperature, and b is a constant. This type of light is in the infrared part of the spectrum.

For the third problem, you can use Kepler's third law, T^2 = (4π^2a^3)/GM, where T is the period of rotation, a is the semimajor axis, G is the universal gravitational constant, and M is the mass of the sun.

For the fourth problem, you can use the formula for the speed of light, c = d/t, where c is the speed of light, d is the distance between Mars and Earth, and t is the time it takes for the radio message to travel round trip. The Sojourner rover had to be able to navigate with minimal guidance from Earth because of the time delay in communication due to the distance between Mars and Earth.

For the fifth problem, you can use the formula for eccentricity, e = (rmax - rmin)/(rmax + rmin), where rmax is the maximum distance between the moon and Earth, and rmin is the minimum distance between the moon and Earth.

For the sixth problem, you can use the formula for
 

1. What is the difference between astronomy and astrology?

Astronomy is a scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena, while astrology is a belief system that claims to interpret how the positions and movements of celestial bodies can influence human affairs and natural world. Astronomy is based on empirical evidence and scientific methods, while astrology is considered a pseudoscience.

2. How do astronomers measure distances in space?

Astronomers use a variety of techniques such as parallax, standard candles, and redshift to measure distances in space. Parallax is the most common and involves measuring the slight shift in an object's position when viewed from different locations on Earth. Standard candles are objects with known luminosities, which can be used to calculate their distances based on their observed brightness. Redshift is the phenomenon of light being stretched to longer wavelengths as it travels through expanding space, and it can be used to determine the distance of objects.

3. What is a black hole and how are they formed?

A black hole is an object with such a strong gravitational pull that nothing, including light, can escape from it. They are formed when a massive star dies and its core collapses under its own gravity, becoming infinitely dense. They can also form from the merger of two smaller black holes.

4. How do telescopes work?

Telescopes work by collecting and focusing light from distant objects, making them appear larger and brighter. They use lenses or mirrors to gather and focus the light, and the image is then magnified and viewed through an eyepiece or captured by a camera. Modern telescopes also use advanced technology such as adaptive optics to correct for distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere.

5. What is the Big Bang theory?

The Big Bang theory is the most widely accepted scientific explanation for the origin of the universe. It states that the universe began as a singularity, a point of infinite density and temperature, and has been expanding and cooling ever since. The theory is supported by evidence such as the cosmic microwave background radiation and the observed expansion of the universe.

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