sun light to 9 planets

[sonoma1993]

How long does it take sun light to reach each of the planets? i know it takes 8 mins for the sunlight to get to our planet.

 

[alienal99]

this is extremely simple. take the distance each planet is from the sun, and divide by the speed of light. (300,000 km/s) remember that planetary distances from the sun do vary. if we assume earth is at it's closest point to the sun, it is about 146,000,000 km away. (91 million miles) do the unit analysis on that....

146000000km

x 1 sec
-------
300000km

= 487 sec
= just over 8 mins


now do the same with a different distance for the first number. you can find the minimum/maximum distances at

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/kids_space/distance.html

 

[MrDudeMan]

this seems too stupid to be homework...

do what alienal99 said. it really cant get any easier.

 

[DrPizza]

9 planets???

I thought there were 10 now.

Ohhh, I get it, this is homework and you and your teacher didn't know that they just discovered a new one a few months ago. Ironically, they were attempting to wait to make the announcement until September of the find - because they felt the announcement would make a wonderful science topic for discussion in schools. But, someone caught wind of the discovery and threatened to expose it.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/29jul_planetx.htm

Incidentally, if you have a planet's distance in AU (astronomical units), each AU = the earth's mean (average) distance from the sun. So, if a planet (like the recently discovered one) is 90 AU from the sun, then simply 90*487 seconds.

 

[Shenkoa]

I just learned something.

 

[egkenny]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
9 planets???

I thought there were 10 now.

Ohhh, I get it, this is homework and you and your teacher didn't know that they just discovered a new one a few months ago. Ironically, they were attempting to wait to make the announcement until September of the find - because they felt the announcement would make a wonderful science topic for discussion in schools. But, someone caught wind of the discovery and threatened to expose it.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/29jul_planetx.htm

Incidentally, if you have a planet's distance in AU (astronomical units), each AU = the earth's mean (average) distance from the sun. So, if a planet (like the recently discovered one) is 90 AU from the sun, then simply 90*487 seconds.

This is not the first such so called planet observed since Pluto. If you include them all then there would be over 20 "planets" now. In fact another "planet" candidate was annouced about the same time as 2003 UB313. It was designated 2003 EL61. It is located about 52 a.u. away. It is about 70 percent of Pluto's diameter. It also has a moon which allowed astronomers to estimate it's mass at about 1/4 that of Pluto.

The object you referenced 2003 UB313 is not an offical planet. It was only called that by it's discoverer at the press conference that annouced it's discovery. The earliest that determination can be made is at next years meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is unlikey that this will happen because astronomers have no official definition of what is a planet and what is not. They have been arguing over this for years. Some people do not even think that Pluto should be classified as a planet.

Just remember unless the IAU votes yes to call it a planet then it is not a planet. They are the only governing body that has that authority.

 

[DrPizza]

Agreed.
I was familiar with a few of the other objects discovered out there; all til this point (afaik) have been smaller than pluto. As this object is (most likely) much larger than Pluto, I see it coming down to there are either 8 planets or 10 planets; depending on the Pluto argument. I can't see Pluto being considered a planet and the other not considered a planet though.

 

[egkenny]

Even after the discovery of Neptune orbital calculations were still not giving the exact observed positions. That was the reason for the search for the ninth planet. It was probably in the excitement of the moment that Pluto was voted to be a planet. After further discoveries and discussions there does not appear that what are the qualifications to be called a planet will be decided any time soon. Because of this any new object that is voted to be a planet may be decided on political and/or emotional terms rather than on logical ones.

 

[JF060392]

voyager 1 could barely get a clear sight of neptune because of its distance. i think it is that anything after 10 au cant recive atiquite light from sol

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: JF060392
voyager 1 could barely get a clear sight of neptune because of its distance. i think it is that anything after 10 au cant recive atiquite light from sol

stop posting.

 

[alienal99]

Originally posted by: xSauronx

Originally posted by: JF060392
voyager 1 could barely get a clear sight of neptune because of its distance. i think it is that anything after 10 au cant recive atiquite light from sol

stop posting.

i would like to start an experiment to discover the reasoning behind people who are both terrible at spelling and terrible at using statements with any degree of accurate information to back them up. I would also like to do a study about people who tell others to stop posting in a forum that has nothing to do with it. Now that i think about it, my current post would have to be included in this, since it is completely off topic. because of this, i am going to add something meaningful to the discussion. visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/date...s/august/25/newsid_2535000/2535545.stm

for the story about how voyager took close up pictures of neptune, and get the pictures from images.google.com

alex phillips