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Chapter 4: Problem 10

Which planets can never be seen at opposition? Which planets can never be seen at inferior conjunction? Explain your answers.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Based on the principles of astronomy, the planets Mercury and Venus (inner planets) can never be seen at opposition since they are located inside the Earth's orbit, while the planets Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (outer planets) can never be seen at inferior conjunction because they are situated outside the Earth's orbit.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Planetary Positions

Firstly, it's important to understand that our solar system consists of eight planets revolving around the Sun, with the Earth included. The planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - are located between the Sun and the Earth, or farther than Earth from the Sun. Inner planets are those that orbit the Sun inside the Earth's orbit (Mercury and Venus), and outer planets are those that orbit the Sun outside the Earth's orbit (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).
02

Determining Planets Seen at Opposition

A planet is said to be at opposition when the Earth is located directly between that planet and the Sun. To be in this position, a planet must be outside the Earth's orbit. Thus, all outer planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) can be seen at opposition. On the contrary, inner planets that lie within the Earth's orbit (Mercury and Venus) will never be seen at opposition because they can't get behind the Earth relative to the Sun.
03

Determining Planets Seen at Inferior Conjunction

A planet is at inferior conjunction when it is located precisely between the Earth and the Sun. Thus, for a planet to be seen at inferior conjunction, it must reside within the Earth's orbit. So, only the inner planets, Mercury and Venus, can be seen at inferior conjunction. Conversely, outer planets that lie outside the Earth's orbit (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) will never be seen at inferior conjunction because they can't pass between the Earth and the Sun.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

It is quite probable that within a few weeks of your reading this chapter one of the planets will be near opposition or greatest eastern elongation, making it readily visible in the evening sky. Select a planet that is at or near such a configuration by searching the World Wide Web or by consulting a reference book, such as the current issue of the Astronomical Almanac or the pamphlet entitled Astronomical Phenomena (both published by the U.S. government). At that configuration, would you expect the planet to be moving rapidly or slowly from night to night against the background stars? Verify your expectations by observing the planet once a week for a month, recording your observations on a star chart.

Imagine a planet like the Earth orbiting a star with 4 times the mass of the Sun. If the semimajor axis of the planet's orbit is \(1 \mathrm{AU}\), what would be the planet's sidereal period? (Hint: Use Newton's form of Kepler's third law. Compared with the case of the Earth orbiting the Sun, by what factor has the quantity \(m_{1}+m_{2}\) changed? Has \(a\) changed? By what factor must \(P^{2}\) change?)

How did the ancient Greeks explain why the Sun and Moon slowly change their positions relative to the background stars?

What is the difference between the synodic period and the sidereal period of a planet?

Use two thumbtacks, a loop of string, and a pencil to draw several ellipses. Describe how the shape of an ellipse varies as the distance between the thumbtacks changes.
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