PHYS0003/PHYS1650 - Nature of the Universe

Assignment 3
Due date: 5:00pm, March 31, 2016
Please submit to the assignment box in first floor of CYMP Buld.
Give answers and explanations for the following questions.
1. (10 marks) (a) If the Moon did not exist, would there still be tides on
Earth?
(b) If there were two moons, which were always on the opposite sides
of the Earth, would there still be tides on Earth?
2. (10 marks) The surface gravity of a planet is proportional to its mass,
but inversely proportional to the square of its radius:
surface gravity =

GM
R2

(1)

where G is the gravitational constant. What are the ratios of surface

gravities of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Moon to that of the Earth?
3. (10 marks) Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016. What is opposition?
4. (10 marks) What would happen to the average surface temperature of
the Earth if the Earth were moved to the Mars orbit?
5. (10 marks) Does Jupiter possess any magnetic field? How do you know?
6. (10 marks) (a) When the probe Philae landed on comet 67P/C-G,
roughly how many A.U. was the comet away from the Sun?
(b) What would happen to the probe if the comet was too far away?
7. (20 marks) Describe the sunspot cycle. Which year was the last solar
maximum, and which year will be the next?
8. (10 marks) (a) Look up the typical thickness and temperatures of the
following regions of the Sun: (i) chromosphere; (ii) core; (iii) photosphere. (b) How can we detect the differential rotation of the Sun?
9. (10 marks) Stars A, B and C are at the same distance to us. Star As
apparent magnitude is 4.
(a) If the luminosity of B is 500 times brighter than A, what is the
apparent magnitude of B?
(b) If Star C is 1400 times fainter than A, what is the apparent magnitude of C?

10. (10 marks) The luminosity of star A is three times of star B, however,
distance of star A from Earth is also three times larger than that of
star B. Which one looks brighter when observed on Earth? What is
the difference in absolute magnitudes between the two stars?