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?

Step by step solution

01

Determine why the U.S. Navy carries out work in astronomy

Further research is essential to answer this question. The U.S. Navy conducts astronomical studies to improve precise navigation, which is important for successful naval operations. Astronomy helps in understanding celestial navigation, timekeeping, and satellite tracking.

02

Web Search for Trans-Neptunian Objects

The two largest recognized trans-Neptunian objects are Pluto and Eris, with diameters of approximately 2,376 kilometers and 2,326 kilometers respectively. According to the current knowledge, there doesn't seem to be a trans-Neptunian object larger than Eris. For the smallest trans-Neptunian object, the possible candidate is '2014 UZ224' which has a diameter of about 125 kilometers.

03

Calculate the distance between Pluto and Charon

Given the maximum observable separation between Pluto and Charon is 0.9 arcseconds (a measurement unit in astronomy) and the distance of Pluto from Earth is approximately 4.5 billion km. Using the small angle formula \(d = \frac{D \cdot \tan(a)}{206,265}\), where \(d\) is the distance between Pluto and Charon, \(D\) is the distance from Earth to Pluto and \(a\) is the angular separation in arcseconds, we transform the angle from arcseconds to degrees, since \(0.9\) arcseconds is \(0.00025\) degrees. After calculation we get per the given data and formula, the distance between Pluto and Charon is approximately 17,237 km. The result obtained should be compared with the text given, and the closest value could show the preciseness of the calculation.

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