ASTROPHYSICS 1

GRAVITATIONAL FORCE
 Force of attraction between any two bodies of masses m1 and m2
 Forces acting on each mass are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction
 Directly Proportional to the masses of the bodies
 Inversely proportional to the separation distance squared
 Universal gravitational constant: G = 6.7 x 10-11 [N m2 / kg2]

 Gravitational Field Strength g [N / kg] differs between planets

g is bigger for a larger mass M and a smaller radius r of the planet
M ×mobject M
NOTE: F G=G 2
=g × mobject → g=G 2
r r

CIRCULAR MOTION

 Linear (tangential) velocity

v = 2πr / T
v v2
2 -v1  Centripetal (radial) acceleration
Fc Δv
v1
r ac = v2 / r

Fc ac = v2 / r  Centripetal (radial) Force

Fc = m
Fc = m ac = mv2 / r
ac
Given:
 Mass of the Sun ~ 2 * 10 30 kg
 Radius of the Sun = 696,340 km
 Distance from the Sun’s surface to the Earth = 149,600,000 km
Calculate:
a) the orbital speed of the Earth (km/s)
b) the period of one revolution about the Sun (days)
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Gravitational Force =>> Natural & Artificial Satellites

Natural Satellites:

 Planets orbit the Sun

 Solar System
(Sun = 99% of total mass)
 Circular (slightly elongated) orbits
- Stronger gravitational pull,
- closer to the Sun,
- more curved orbit
 Constant orbital velocity
 Can have several moons with circular
orbits

 Comets and Asteroids orbit the Sun

Comets
 made of rock, dust and ice
 elliptical (very elongated) orbit
- slows down away from the Sun
- speeds up near the Sun
- ice evaporation => tail
- tail points away from the Sun

Asteroids
 made of metal and rock
 have elongated shape
 asteroid belts around the Sun
(between Mars and Jupiter,
or beyond Neptune)
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Artificial Satellites:
 man-made spacecrafts
 orbit the Earth or other planets
 Geostationary orbit
- Orbital speed = speed of Earth’s spin
- fixed position relative to the Earth
- Communication / GPS satellites
 Polar orbit
- allows to scan the Earth surface
- Surveillance / Weather satellites

GALAXY
 collection of billions of stars (like the Sun)
 Our solar system - the Milky Way galaxy

UNIVERSE:
collection of billions of galaxies
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Calculate the gravitational field strength on other planets

relative to that on the Earth.

Venus:

Jupiter:

Neptune:
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