Essential Cosmic Perspective
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780135795033
Author: Bennett
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 2, Problem 3EAP
On a clear, dark night, the sky may appear to be “full” of stars. Does this appearance accurately reflect the way stars are distributed in space? Explain.
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Why can't we easily see stars and planets in the sky when we are in a city but can easily see them elsewhere?
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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
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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
- Ursa Minor contains the pole star, Polaris, and the asterism known as the Little Dipper. From most locations in the Northern Hemisphere, all of the stars in Ursa Minor are circumpolar. Does that mean these stars are also above the horizon during the day? Explain.arrow_forwardHow Do We Know? How is the world you see around you determined by a world you cannot see?arrow_forwardOne method to measure the diameter of a star is to use an object like the Moon or a planet to block out its light and to measure the time it takes to cover up the object. Why is this method used more often with the Moon rather than the planets, even though there are more planets?arrow_forward
- Astronomers are always making comparisons between measurements in astronomy and something that might be more familiar. For example, the Hipparcos web pages tell us that the measurement accuracy of 0.001 arcsec is equivalent to the angle made by a golf ball viewed from across the Atlantic Ocean, or to the angle made by the height of a person on the Moon as viewed from Earth, or to the length of growth of a human hair in 10 sec as seen from 10 meters away. Use the ideas in Example 19.2 to verify one of the first two comparisons.arrow_forwardIs the Sun an average star? Why or why not?arrow_forwardThe edge of the Sun doesn’t have to be absolutely sharp in order to look that way to us. It just has to go from being transparent to being completely opaque in a distance that is smaller than your eye can resolve. Remember from Astronomical Instruments that the ability to resolve detail depends on the size of the telescope’s aperture. The pupil of your eye is very small relative to the size of a telescope and therefore is very limited in the amount of detail you can see. In fact, your eye cannot see details that are smaller than 1/30 of the diameter of the Sun (about 1 arcminute). Nearly all the light from the Sun emerges from a layer that is only about 400 km thick. What fraction is this of the diameter of the Sun? How does this compare with the ability of the human eye to resolve detail? Suppose we could see light emerging directly from a layer that was 300,000 km thick. Would the Sun appear to have a sharp edge?arrow_forward
- Why have astronomers added modern constellations to the sky?arrow_forwardThe distance from the Sun to the nearest star is about 4 1016 m. The Milky Way galaxy (Fig. P1.31) is roughly a disk of diameter 1021 in and thickness 1019 m. Find the order of magnitude of the number of stars in the Milky Way. Assume the distance between the Sun and our nearest neighbor is typical. Figure P1.31 The Milky Way galaxy.arrow_forwardA solar eclipse is only visible over a narrow strip on the Earth's surface. This is most closely associated with: Select one alternative: The ways in which our view of the sky depends on latitude. The combination of the Earth's rotation on its axis and its movement around the sun. The elliptical nature of the moon's orbit. The perspective dependence associated with parallax. Solar eclipses are actually visible to everyone on the daylight side of the earth.arrow_forward
- Why can’t we see star in day time?arrow_forward5. We observe an increase in brightness of a star that is 5.81×10¹⁹ m away. How long ago did the actual increase in brightness take place, in years? Find the time that is required for light to reach the Earth.arrow_forwardWhat is the distance (in meters) of an object that has an angular diameter of 100 arcseconds and a linear diameter of 50 meters? How do I set up this equation and solve. Also, is it possible to solve or check my answer with the TI-30XS calculator?arrow_forward
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