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SQ Problem 2021

The document contains a series of short questions related to astrophysics, including calculations for Jupiter's intrinsic temperature, the temperature of the Sun's convection zone, the concept of surface magnitude of galaxies, eccentricity of a satellite's orbit, and the timing of sunset on the winter solstice for an astronomer in Chicago. Each question is designed to test knowledge of physical principles and mathematical relationships in astronomy. The questions require application of formulas and concepts such as effective temperature, adiabatic gradient, and orbital mechanics.

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7 views1 page

SQ Problem 2021

The document contains a series of short questions related to astrophysics, including calculations for Jupiter's intrinsic temperature, the temperature of the Sun's convection zone, the concept of surface magnitude of galaxies, eccentricity of a satellite's orbit, and the timing of sunset on the winter solstice for an astronomer in Chicago. Each question is designed to test knowledge of physical principles and mathematical relationships in astronomy. The questions require application of formulas and concepts such as effective temperature, adiabatic gradient, and orbital mechanics.

Uploaded by

ahmetkahramann0642
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2 Short Questions

1. (5 points) Jupiter emits more energy to space than it receives from the Sun. The internal heat flux of
Jupiter can be quantified by the “intrinsic” temperature of the planet Tint . The effective temperature Teff
4 4 4
of a planet is related to its intrinsic temperature and equilibrium temperature Teq by Teff “ Teq ` Tint .
Given that Jupiter’s albedo is 0.5, its emissivity is 1, its average separation from the Sun is 5.2 AU, and
its effective temperature is 134 K, estimate its intrinsic temperature in Kelvin. You may use the Sun’s
surface temperature equal to 5777 K.
2. (5 points) The convection zone of the sun is the major region of the solar interior that is closest to the
surface. It is characterized by convection currents that quickly carry heat to the surface. As a pocket
of gas rises, it expands and becomes less and less dense. For it to continue to rise, the temperature
gradient in the sun must be steeper than the adiabatic gradient, which is the temperature that the gas
would have if it were allowed to expand without any heat input.
In the sun, the adiabatic gradient satisfies T 9 p0.4 , where T is the temperature and p is the pressure at
any given point.
The bottom of the convection zone is about 200,000 kilometers beneath the surface of the sun, and has
a temperature of about 2 ˆ 106 K and a density of about 200 kg{m3 . Estimate an upper bound for the
temperature of the convection zone where the density is 1.2 kg{m3 (the density of air). You may assume
the ideal gas law holds in the convective zone.
3. (5 points) Galaxies are very hard to spot, even those that are nearest to us. For instance, Andromeda,
despite having an apparent magnitude of 3.44, appears very “dim” in the sky. This is because its light
is very spread out, since its solid angle in the sky is so large (around 3 times that of the Sun!).
Hence, it is often useful to use the surface magnitude of a galaxy, defined as the magnitude that a certain
solid angle of that galaxy has. It is usually measured in mag{arcmin2 .
Show that, in a non expanding universe, the surface magnitude is independent of the distance to the
galaxy.
4. (5 points) An Earth satellite has the following position (~r) and velocity (~v ) vectors at a given instant:

~r “ 7000î ` 9000ĵpkmq

~v “ ´2î ` 5ĵ pkm{sq


Calculate the eccentricity of the satellite orbit.
b Hint: The eccentricity of the orbit is related to total
2
energy E and angular momentum L as e “ 1 ` G22EL M 2 m3 ; where M is Earth’s mass and m is the mass
of the satellite.
5. (5 points) An astronomer who lives in Chicago (φ “ 41.88o N ; λ “ 87.63o W ) was very bored during
the day of the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, so he started thinking about the sunset. The
astronomer could not wait to see the sunset on that day. Considering that the true solar time at his
location was 2:30 pm, how long did he have to wait to see the sunset? The declination of the sun on
winter solstice is δ “ ´23.44o .

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