As the winter passes, the Earth spins as usual around the Sun. On a cold February...

80.2K

Verified Solution

Question

Physics

As the winter passes, the Earth spins as usual around the Sun.On a cold February night just past midnight, a lone astronomerspots an unusual object in the starlit sky. Near the far end of theconstellation of Draco, north of the star HD 91190, there appeareda faint reflective anomaly. After careful observation over the nextfew hours, the astronomer noticed that the object was very close toEarth. Jotting down the coordinates and times, the astronomer cameup with spherical coordinates

Feb 28th -> (x,y,z) = (1.16 x 108 km,6.05 x 108 km , 38.54 x 108 km )

After many days of careful observation, the astronomer foundthat the object was indeed moving! By the middle of May, theastronomer was observing the object at:

May 15th -> (x,y,z) = (1.05 x 108 km,5.73 x 108 km , 38.28 x 108 km )

Now, with this information, we must decide if this object willcome close enough to Earth that it could collide. There are someother equations that are needed, in particular, the orbit ofEarth:

r = 1.52 x 108 / (1 + 0.0167 * cos(θ)) km

where θ is in degrees, found from Earth's rotation around theSun. Thus, 0⁰ is Dec 21st, the Winter Solstice, and 180⁰is June 21st, the Summer Solstice.

Find a set of parametric equations, using the Earth's positionas the origin for each of the object's observations (it will changefor each date).

Given this information, and assuming near-linear travel for theunknown object

1. How fast isthe object moving?

2.Inwhat direction is the object moving?

3.All of theplanets in the Solar System are moving in on a nearly flat plane.How long until this object enters into that plane?

4.Does it seemlike this object will hit Earth? Why or why not?

Answer & Explanation Solved by verified expert
4.4 Ratings (983 Votes)
    See Answer
Get Answers to Unlimited Questions

Join us to gain access to millions of questions and expert answers. Enjoy exclusive benefits tailored just for you!

Membership Benefits:
  • Unlimited Question Access with detailed Answers
  • Zin AI - 3 Million Words
  • 10 Dall-E 3 Images
  • 20 Plot Generations
  • Conversation with Dialogue Memory
  • No Ads, Ever!
  • Access to Our Best AI Platform: Flex AI - Your personal assistant for all your inquiries!
Become a Member

Other questions asked by students