This diagram below shows the path of Pluto relative to the distant stars over th
ID: 105609 • Letter: T
Question
This diagram below shows the path of Pluto relative to the distant stars over the course of four years. An angular scale bar in degrees is shown in the upper right. Based on this information, what is the distance from the Sun to Pluto in units of AU? As measured by the Hubble Space Telescope, the angular diameter of Pluto is 0.090 What is the diameter of Pluto compared to the diameter of the earth Charon orbits Pluto in a circular orbit which has a radius that subtends an angle of 0.810 arcseconds as seen from the earth. Charon orbits Pluto once every 6.387 days. What is the Pluto compared to the mass of the earth ? What is the average density of Pluto? How does it compare to the density of the earth?Explanation / Answer
2. a At its closest point, the distance of the pluto from the sun is 29 AU and its farther end its distance from the sun is 49 AU. Since the orbit of pluto is highly irregular there is large difference between its closest and farthest distance. The average distance of sun from the pluto becomes 39.5 AU.
b. The diameter of the pluto is 2374 km whereas the diameter of the earth is 12,742 km. Therefore diameter of the pluto with respect to earth is 2374/12,742=0.18. Therefore pluto's diameter is only 0.18 of the earth's diameter.
c. The mass of the pluto is 0.01303 *1024 Kg whereas the mass of the earth is 5.9724* 1024Kg. The mass of the pluto to that of earth will be 0.01303*1024 /5.9724*1024=2.18*10-3 or 0.0022. Therefore pluto's mass is only 0.0022 to that of earth.
d. The average density of the pluto is 1860kg/m3 whereas average density of earth is 5514kg/m3. Therefore average density of the earth to that of pluto is 1860/5514=0.337. Therefore density of pluto is only 0.337 to that of density of earth.