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Chapter 14: Problem 14
How do the orientations of Uranus's and Neptune's magnetic axes differ from those of other planets?
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Charon was discovered by an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Why do you suppose the U.S. Navy carries out work in astronomy? Search the World Wide Web for the answer. 52\. Search the World Wide Web for a list of trans-Neptunian objects. What are the largest and smallest objects of this sort that have so far been found, and how large are they? Have any objects larger than Eris been found? 53\. Separation of Pluto and Charon. Pluto is located about 4.5 billion km from Earth and has a maximum observable separation from Charon of about 0.9 arcseconds. Access the AIMM (Active Integrated Media Module) called “Small-Angle Toolbox” in Chapter 1 of the Universe Web site or eBook. Use this AIMM and the above data to determine the distance between Pluto and Charon. How does your answer compare with the value given in the text?
The brightness of sunlight is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the Sun. For example, at a distance of \(4 \mathrm{AU}\) from the Sun, sunlight is only \((1 / 4)^{2}=1 / 16=\) \(0.0625\) as bright as at \(1 \mathrm{AU}\). Compared with the brightness of sunlight on the Earth, what is its brightness (a) on Pluto at perihelion (29.649 AU from the Sun) and (b) on Pluto at aphelion (49.425 AU from the Sun)? (c) How much brighter is it on Pluto at perihelion compared with aphelion? (Even this brightness is quite low. Noon on Pluto is about as dim as it is on the Earth a half hour after sunset on a moonless night.)
Use the Stary Night Enthusiast \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) program to observe Pluto and Charon. First select Options \(>\) Viewing Location from the menu. At the top of the Viewing Location dialog box, select position hovering over and Pluto in the drop boxes. Then click on the center of the map of Pluto that appears in the dialog window and click the Set Location button. Use the elevation buttons in the toolbar to increase the distance from the surface of Pluto to about \(35,000 \mathrm{~km}\). Use the Location scroller (hold down the Shift key while holding down the mouse button and moving the mouse, to rotate the view around Pluto. In the toolbar, set the Time Flow Rate to 1 hour, then click on the Run Time Forward button (a triangle that points to the right). (a) Estimate Charon's orbital period. (b) By following a spot on Pluto's surface, estimate Pluto's rotation period. How does it compare to your answer in part (a)? (c) Select Options > Viewing Location from the menu and set the dropdown boxes at the top of the Viewing Location dialog window to read position moving with and Pluto. Then select the Above orbital plane option and click the Set Location button. Open the Find pane and double-click the entry for the Sun to center the Sun in the view. Set the Time Flow Rate to 1 year, and click on the Run Time Forward button to see the apparent motion of the Sun as seen from Pluto. Observe the motion for several centuries of simulated time. Does the Sun always appear to move at the same speed? Use the properties of Pluto's orbit to explain why or why not.
Briefly describe the evidence supporting the idea that Triton was captured by Neptune.
Why is it so difficult to see features in the atmosphere of Uranus?
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