The Sun & the Solar System

George Papachatzakis
June 2022

1. (a) The total pressure is the sum of the magnetic pressure and the ideal gas
pressure. Since the regions inside and outside the sunspot are in equilibrium
and the number density n of particles in both regions is the same, we have
2
Bin B2
nkB Tin + = nkB Tout + out . (1)
2µ0 2µ0

Substitution of numerical values yield n ≈ 1023 m−3 .

(b) For P ≈ 105 Pa and T ≈ 300 K and assuming that the atmospheric gas is
ideal, we obtain natm ≈ 2 × 1025 m−3 , about 200 times higher than the number
density of plasma particles in the solar photosphere.

2. The tidal force on the moon is

GMp GMp 2GMp Rm
F = − 2 ≈ . (2)
(r − Rm )2 r r3

The moon will be disrupted if the self-gravity is overcome by the sum of the
tidal forces on the moon and the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the
moon:
2GMp Rm GMm
+ ω 2 Rm > . (3)
r3 Rm2

Since the rotation of the moon is synchronous, the rotational period of the moon
G(Mp +Mm )
will be equal to its orbital period. Thus, ω 2 = r3 . We then obtain

2GMp Rm G(Mp + Mm )Rm GMm

3
+ 3
> 2
, (4)
r r Rm

which yields
3
 Mp  3  Mm  Mp R m
r3 < 1 + 3 Rm = 3 + R3 . (5)
Mm Mp Mm Rp3 p

Using the fact that

3
Mp R m Mp  Mm −1 ρ̄p
3
= 3 3
= , (6)
Mm Rp Rp Rm ρ̄m

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the resulting expression for the Roche limit is
 ρ̄ 1/3
p
r < fR Rp (7)
ρ̄m
with  Mm 1/3
fR = 3 + . (8)
Mp

3. Using Kepler’s 3rd law

s
a3
T = 2π (9)
G(MG + m)

and the equation for the synodic period (with T2 > T1 )

1 1 1 T1 T2
= − ⇔ Ts = , (10)
Ts T1 T2 T2 − T1
and demanding that
Ts T2
= (11)
T1 T2 − T1
is an integer (exercise: show that this implies that Ts /T2 is also an integer), we
can find that the pairs of planets that have resonant orbits are (b,c) and (b, e).

4. As discussed in class-see also 12.9 of Astronomy: Principles and Practice

(4th Ed.) by A.E. Roy and D. Clarke, the time that elapses between opposition
and the next stationary point is given by
θ
t= Ts , (12)
360◦
where Ts is the synodic period of the planet. Using the given data (t = 36.5
days, TM = 687.0 days, and T⊕ = 365.25 days), we can find
T⊕ TM
Ts = = 779.9 days (13)
TM − T⊕
and therefore θ = 16.8◦ . Using the law of cosines, we find
p
M E = SE 2 + SM 2 − 2SE ṠM cos θ = 0.636 AU, (14)

where we have used SE = 1 AU and

 687.0 2/3
SM = AU = 1.52 AU. (15)
365.25
The phase angle ϕ can be obtained from the equation
sin θ
tan ϕ = , (16)
β − cos θ

2
where β = SM/SE. We obtain ϕ = 27.1◦ and thus
1
q= (1 + cos ϕ) = 0.945. (17)
2

5. The relation between the phases yields

1 3
(1 + cos ϕ2 ) = (1 + cos ϕ1 ) ⇔ cos ϕ2 = 2 + 3 cos ϕ1 , (18)
2 2
which also implies that cos ϕ1 < 0 (ϕ1 > 90◦ ). Meanwhile, simple applications
of the law of sines for triangles SEV1 and SEV2 yield
sin ϕ1 sin η sin η sin ϕ2
= = = ⇔ sin ϕ1 = sin ϕ2 ⇔ ϕ2 = 180◦ − ϕ1 , (19)
SE SV1 SV2 SE
Therefore, cos ϕ2 = − cos ϕ1 and
1
3 cos ϕ1 + 2 = − cos ϕ1 ⇔ cos ϕ1 = − ⇔ ϕ1 = 120◦ (20)
2
and ϕ2 = 60◦ . Now, using SV1 = SV2 = SV = 0.723 AU and SE = 1 AU, we
obtain √
SV 0.723 3
sin η = sin ϕ1 = ⇔ η = 38.8◦ . (21)
SE 2
The corresponding angular distances between Venus and Earth as viewed from
the Sun are
θ1,2 = 180◦ − ϕ1,2 − η (22)
so
θ = θ2 − θ1 = ϕ1 − ϕ2 = 60◦ . (23)
Bearing in mind that the synodic period of Venus is Ts = 583.9 days, we obtain
θ Ts
t2 − t1 = Ts = = 97.3 days. (24)
360◦ 6

6. The derivation can be found in Section 12.9 of Astronomy: Principles and

Practice (4th Ed.) by A.E. Roy and D. Clarke. It is attached at the end of this
document.

7. (a) By conservation of momentum,

m⃗v + M⃗u = m⃗vf + M⃗uf , (25)

so
−mv + M u = mvf + M uf ⇔ m(v + vf ) = M (u − uf ). (26)
By conservation of energy,
1 1 1 1
mv 2 + M u2 = mvf2 + M u2f ⇔ m(vf2 − v 2 ) = M (u2 − u2f ). (27)
2 2 2 2

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Further simplification yields

m(vf − v)(v + vf ) = M (u − uf )(u + uf ) ⇔ vf − v = u + uf . (28)

Therefore,
(M − m)v + 2M u
m(v+vf )+M (vf −v) = M (u−uf )+M (u+uf ) ⇔ vf = (29)
m+M
or
(m − M )⃗v + 2M⃗u 2 1 − m/M
⃗vf = = ⃗u − ⃗v . (30)
m+M 1 + m/M 1 + m/M

(b) For m << M , the expression can be simplified to

⃗vf = 2⃗u − ⃗v . (31)

(c) Conservation of momentum in the direction perpendicular to ⃗u implies

vf,y = vy = v sin θ. (32)

From part (b),

vf,x = 2u + v cos θ. (33)
It is then trivial to obtain
q p p
vf = vf,x 2 + v2 = (2u + v cos θ)2 + (v sin θ)2 = v 2 + 4u2 + 4vu cos θ.
f,y
(34)

8. The orbital speed of Earth is about 30 km/s, so the relative speed of the
meteors with respect to the Earth is v = (10+30) km/s = 40 km/s. The number
of meteors, N , passing through the circular region of radius r = 100 km in a
given time interval t will be given by

N = nπr2 vt, (35)

where n is the number density of meteors. Therefore, since N/t = 600 min−1 =
10 s−1 ,
N/t 1
n= 2 = × 10−4 km−3 . (36)
πr v 4π
and the mean distance between the meteors

d = n−1/3 = (4π × 104 )1/3 km ≈ 50 km. (37)

9. The r.m.s. thermal speed of particles (of mass m) of an ideal monatomic gas
with temperature T is given by
r
3kB T
vrms = . (38)
m

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For the gas to remain in the atmosphere of Titan, we demand that
r r
3kB TT 1 2GMT 54kB TT RT
vrms ≤ vesc ⇔ ≤ ⇔m≥ . (39)
m 6 RT GMT
Therefore,
54kB TT RT
Amin = . (40)
GMT mu
Substituting numerical values (mu = 1.66 × 10−27 kg), we obtain Amin = 13.2.

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