Imagine that one night you see Jupiter at midnight on the celestial meridian (the great circle passing through an observer’s zenith and the north and south points on the horizon). Say, 3 months later, you are outside at midnight. Where will Jupiter be with respect to the celestial meridian?
a. Jupiter will again be on the celestial meridian.
b. Jupiter will be to the East from the celestial meridian.
c. Jupiter will again be on the celestial meridian but more to the South from its position 3 months ago.
d. Jupiter will be to the West from the celestial meridian.
e. Jupiter will again be on the celestial meridian but more to the North from its position 3 months ago.
2006-09-26 08:02:31 · 3 answers · asked by Roman K 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
d. Jupiter has a much smaller angular velocity than Earth.
Without doing the calculations, I would say look for it 25-30 deg. above the Western horizon.
2006-09-26 08:23:46 · answer #1 · answered by Helmut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Retrograde motion might make it cross the meridian more than once, but after 3 months I think forward (westward) motion would have to dominate over retrograde. So I say west, d.
2006-09-26 16:23:26 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
D. Because it moves more slowly than the earth and is moving retrograde.
2006-09-26 15:10:39 · answer #3 · answered by Scott L 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋