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Chapter 12: Problem 40

What is zodiacal light, and what is its source?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Zodiacal light is a faint glow seen in the twilight sky, caused by sunlight scattering off interplanetary dust particles in the ecliptic plane.

Step by step solution

01

- Define Zodiacal Light

Zodiacal light is a faint, diffuse, and roughly triangular-shaped glow that appears in the sky during twilight after sunset or before sunrise. It is often observed along the ecliptic plane, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky.
02

- Examine the Source of Zodiacal Light

The source of zodiacal light is interplanetary dust particles in the solar system. These tiny particles scatter sunlight, causing the brightening effect seen as zodiacal light.
03

- Understand the Composition of Interplanetary Dust

Interplanetary dust consists of particles from cometary debris and asteroid collisions. These particles spread throughout the inner solar system.
04

- Link Zodiacal Light to the Ecliptic

Since the dust particles orbit the Sun within the ecliptic plane, zodiacal light follows this path, making it visible near the regions of the sky corresponding to the zodiac constellations.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Interplanetary Dust
Interplanetary dust refers to tiny particles that float through our solar system. These particles are incredibly small; many are even smaller than a grain of sand.
This dust plays an important role in creating a beautiful phenomenon known as zodiacal light.
Sources of interplanetary dust include:
  • Cometary debris: As comets come close to the Sun, they heat up and release dust and gas.
  • Asteroid collisions: When asteroids collide, they produce dust particles that scatter throughout space.
These particles are spread throughout the inner solar system and create a faint glow in the sky by scattering sunlight.
When sunlight interacts with these particles, it gets scattered in different directions, forming the diffuse light known as zodiacal light.
Ecliptic Plane
The ecliptic plane is the imaginary plane created by Earth's orbit around the Sun.
It is the apparent path that the Sun follows across the sky throughout the year.
Since the planets in our solar system orbit roughly along this plane, it holds significance for many celestial phenomena.
Zodiacal light is one such phenomenon that sticks to this plane. The interplanetary dust, which is the source of zodiacal light, orbits around the Sun within the ecliptic plane.
As a result, this makes the zodiacal light visible near the regions of the sky that align with the zodiac constellations.
Cometary Debris
Cometary debris is one of the main components of interplanetary dust.
As comets travel close to the Sun, they heat up, causing their icy surfaces to release gas and dust.
This process, known as sublimation, creates a trail of particles that can spread throughout the solar system. Over time, these particles contribute to the interplanetary dust cloud.
When comets pass through the inner solar system frequently, they add even more debris to the mix.
These tiny particles, originating from cometary debris, play a pivotal role in the scattering of sunlight, leading to the formation of zodiacal light.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Earth's Moon has a diameter of \(3,474 \mathrm{km}\) and orbits at an average distance of \(384,400 \mathrm{km}\). At this distance it subtends an angle just slightly larger than half a degree in Earth's sky. Pluto's moon Charon has a diameter of \(1,186 \mathrm{km}\) and orbits at a distance of \(19,600 \mathrm{km}\) from the dwarf planet. a. Compare the appearance of Charon in Pluto's skies with the Moon in Earth's skies. b. Describe where in the sky Charon would appear as seen from various locations on Pluto.

T/F: Meteors are typically caused by small pieces of dust falling through the atmosphere.

Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) are actually comet nuclei. Why do they not display comae and tails? a. Most of the material has already been stripped from the objects. b. They are too far from the Sun. c. They are too close to the Sun. d. The comae and tails are pointing away from Earth, behind the object.

The orbital periods of Comets Encke, Halley, and Hale-Bopp are 3.3 years, 76 years, and 2,530 years, respectively. Their orbital eccentricities are \(0.847,0.967,\) and \(0.995,\) respectively. a. What are the semimajor axes (in astronomical units) of the orbits of these comets? b. What are the minimum and maximum distances from the Sun (in astronomical units) reached by Comets Halley and Hale-Bopp in their respective orbits? c. Which would you guess is the most pristine comet among the three? Which is the least? Explain your reasoning.

Most meteors that you see began as meteoroids the size of a. tiny dust grains. b. a pencil. c. a car. d. a house.
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