Read the following paragraph and answer the accompanying questions. (Adapted fro

Question

Read the following paragraph and answer the accompanying questions. (Adapted from Lecture-Tutorials for introductory Astronomy by Adams et al.) The following graphs shows the temperature at different locations in the solar system during the time when the planets we forming. The table provides some common temperatures to use for comparison. Light gasses, like hydrogen and helium, have too much energy to condense (come together to make a gas) at temperatures higher than the freezing point of water. Over what range of distances from the Sun would you expect to find light gases, like hydrogen and helium, collecting together to form a significant portion of a planet? anywhere beyond the orbit of Mercury closer than the orbit of Jupiter anywhere beyond the orbit of the Jupiter between the orbit of Uranus and Neptune If a planet had formed at 2.2 AU from the Sun. what type of planet would you expect to find? terrestrial Jovian neither cither

Explanation / Answer

Hi,

9. According to the graph, the temperature of the planets from Mars to Mercury is above the 400 K, while the planets from Jupiter onwards are below 200 K. If we consider that the hidrogen and the helium cannot condense at temperatures higher than 273 K, then I would expect them to come together to form a portion of a planet in regions of lower temperature. This would happen around the orbit of Jupiter and even at a distance a little smaller than that (closer to the Sun).

10. Everything depends on the temperature of that region (2.2 AU). If it is above 273 K, then the planet should be terrestrial, if it is below that mark, then the planet should be jovian. It is not easy to see this in the graph, because the horizontal axis is in logarithmic scale.

If we consider that Mars is about 1.5 AU and Jupiter is about 5.2 AU, the temperature of the distance 2.2 AU should be about 300 K. This value is slightly superior than 273 K, but the difference is pretty small. However, I would say that the planet should be terrestrial, simply because it is still above the limit in temperature.

Note: a prove of this statement is that Ceres, the biggest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt, is about 2.77 UA.

I hope it helps.

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