This is for my Intro to Astro class. I've searched through my book and googled beyond belief, if anyone could help me with the process of solving this problem. Thank you so much!
There is also an image for the problem though I'm not sure about the relevancy
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2868199/homework1.jpg
Problem:
a. Count the number of steps in Powers of 10 between when the orbits of the
giant planets fill the screen, and when the first nearby star (Arcturus) appears.
Each step is one power of 10. What is the approximate ratio of the size of the
solar system to the distance between the sun and Arcturus?
b. Check your answer to part a: the radius of Neptune’s orbit is 30.2 AU. The
distance from the sun to Arcturus is 11.3 pc. Exactly how many solar systems
would need to be lined up side-by-side to fill the distance to Arcturus?
There is also an image for the problem though I'm not sure about the relevancy
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2868199/homework1.jpg
Problem:
a. Count the number of steps in Powers of 10 between when the orbits of the
giant planets fill the screen, and when the first nearby star (Arcturus) appears.
Each step is one power of 10. What is the approximate ratio of the size of the
solar system to the distance between the sun and Arcturus?
b. Check your answer to part a: the radius of Neptune’s orbit is 30.2 AU. The
distance from the sun to Arcturus is 11.3 pc. Exactly how many solar systems
would need to be lined up side-by-side to fill the distance to Arcturus?