General Astronomy - Spring
2011
Homework #1 - due January 24
Name ___________________________
1. (4 pt) [Review] What is your name?
2. (4 pt) [Review] If you throw a ball straight up from the Earth at
20,000
m/s,
how high will it go? (Neglect air resistance.)
3. (4 pt) If one made a scale model of the solar system in which
the
Earth was
2 meters away from the Sun, what would be the diameter of the
Sun?
Of the Earth?
4. (4 pt) The European Hipparcos satellite made the best stellar
parallax measurements to date and could reach an accuracy of about 1
milliarcsecond. How distant is the farthest star for which
Hipparcos could measure a distance?
5. (4 pt) Measure and record the distance from your eye to your
thumb
with
your arm
extended and the width of your thumb. Calculate the angular
size of your thumb as seen from your eye with your arm extended.