The Sun & the Solar System

George Papachatzakis
June 2022

1. Magnetic fields are important in the physics of stars and sunspots. As an

approximation, we can model the photosphere of the Sun consisting of a plasma,
which can be simply treated as a single component ideal gas, and a magnetic
B2
field (B), which has an associated magnetic pressure pB = 2µ 0
. It behaves like
any other physical pressure except that it is carried by the magnetic field rather
than by the kinetic energy of particles. Assume that the number density of par-
ticles in the photosphere is constant everywhere, but the magnetic field inside
the sunspot (Bin = 0.1 T) is much stronger than outside (Bout = 5 × 10−3 T).
From the blackbody spectrum, the temperature inside the sunspot is Tin ≈ 4000
K, while the temperature outside is Tin ≈ 6000 K (which is why the sunspot
looks darker). For the sunspot to be stable, the inside must be in equilibrium
with the outside.
(a) Estimate the number density of plasma particles in the solar photosphere.
(b) Compare your answer with an estimate of the number density of particles
in the atmosphere at the surface of the Earth.
Hint: Find expressions for the total pressure inside and outside the sunspot.
The two pressures must be equal.

2. Including rotation, derive an expression for the Roche limit for the case
of a spherical moon in synchronous rotation about a planet.
Hint: You may find Kepler’s third law helpful.

3. Several exoplanets have been observed in the Gliese 876 system (MG =
0.33 ± 0.03 M⊙ ) as given in the following table, where M⊙ is the mass of Sun,
MJ is the mass of Jupiter (MJ = 1.89813 × 1027 kg), and M⊕ is the mass of
Earth. Assume that all these planets revolve around Gliese 876 in the same
direction. Two planets are said to be in resonant orbits if the synodic period of
one planet with respect to the other planet is an integer multiple of the orbital
period of the second planet.
Find if any of the exoplanets of Gliese 876 system may have resonant orbits.

4. The planet Mars reaches a stationary point 36.5 days after opposition, its
elongation being measured to be 136◦ 12’. Given that the planet’s orbital pe-
riod is 687.0 days, calculate the distance of Mars from the Earth in astronomical
units at the stationary point, and also the planet’s phase.

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Hint: The stationary point is the point at which the components of the veloci-
ties of the planet and the Earth perpendicular to the Earth-planet direction are
equal. Use the geometric techniques discussed in class. The phase is q = 1+cos
2
ϕ
,
where ϕ is the phase angle.

5. During a synodic period of Venus, the elongation η at time t1 is the same

as the elongation at time t2 (t2 > t1 ), the planet being on the same side of the
Sun at both times. If the phase at t2 is three times the phase at t1 , find
(i) the value of η,
(ii) the interval (t2 − t1 ) in days,

6. Derive an expression for the duration of retrogade motion of a planet in

terms of its orbital radius (assume circular orbits).

7. A spacecraft of mass m and velocity ⃗v approaches a massive planet of mass

M and orbital velocity ⃗u, as measured by an inertial observer. We consider a
special case, where the incoming trajectory of the spacecraft is designed in a
way such that velocity vector of the planet does not change direction due to
the gravitational boost given to the spacecraft. In this case, the amount of
gravitational boost to the velocity the spacecraft can be roughly estimated us-
ing conservation laws by measuring asymptotic velocity of the spacecraft before
and after the interaction and angle of approach of the spacecraft.
(a) What will be the final velocity (⃗vf ) of the spacecraft, if ⃗v and ⃗u are exactly
anti-parallel (see Figure 1)?
(b) Simplify the expression for the case where m << M .
(c) If angle between ⃗v and ⃗u is θ and m << M (see Figure 2), use results above
to write an expression for the magnitude of the final velocity (vf ).

9. During a meteor shower, meteors within a region with radius of 100 km

were observed at a rate of 600/min. If the speed of the meteors relative to the
Sun was 10 km/s and the direction of motion of the Earth was opposite to that
of the meteors, evaluate the mean distance between the meteors.

10. Gas particles in a planetary atmosphere have a wide distribution of speeds.

If the r.m.s. (root mean square) thermal speed of particles of a particular gas
exceeds 1/6 of the escape speed, then most of that gas will escape from the
planet. What is the minimum atomic weight (relative atomic mass), Amin , of
an ideal monatomic gas so that it remains in the atmosphere of Titan?

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Given: mass of Titan MT = 1.23 ×1023 kg, radius of Titan RT = 2575 km,
surface temperature of Titan TT = 93.7 K.

11,