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EXERCISE 1
When we measure the motion of objects in the universe, we're usually measuring the motion of an object's center of mass – the location where the combined gravitational forces between all the parts of the object appear to come from. In a planetary system, the motion of the center of mass can be significant and possibly measurable. Jupiter orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.2 AU. Jupiter's mass is 1.9 * 10^27 kg while the Sun's mass is 2.0 * 10^30 kg. Imagine an astronomer living on a planet 10 parsecs away from the Sun, observing our solar system. (a) At the time Jupiter is on the far side of the Sun, where is the center of mass of the Sun-Jupiter system, compared to the actual center of the Sun? (b) At the time Jupiter is on the near side of the Sun, where is the center of mass of the Sun-Jupiter system, compared to the actual center of the Sun? (c) What is the total distance that the Sun-Jupiter center of mass travels back and forth, as observed by the distant astronomer? |