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Chapter 32: Problem 8

When the Moon passes in front of a star, the starlight intensity fluctuates before going to zero instead of dropping abruptly. Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The fluctuation in starlight intensity as the Moon passes in front of a star, instead of an abrupt drop to zero, is due to the diffraction of the star's light around the Moon and the scattering effect of the Moon's thin atmosphere.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Concept of Diffraction

First, we must understand that diffraction is the bending and spreading out of light waves as they pass by the edge of an object or through an aperture, in this case, the Moon. When such diffraction occurs, the intensity of light does not drop abruptly but fluctuates due to the wave's interference, i.e., it does not go to zero immediately.
02

Realize the Moon's Atmosphere's Role

The Moon's atmosphere is negligibly thin. However, it still scatters some light, leading to an incremental reduction in the star's intensity before it goes to zero. The Moon's atmosphere is not sufficient to cause an abrupt blockage of the star's light. This is another reason the light doesn't simply drop off but gradually reduces.
03

Combining the Two Forces

So, the diffraction of the star's light around the Moon and the scattering effect of the thin atmosphere of the Moon leads to a fluctuation in the starlight's intensity. Hence, the intensity seems to reduce progressively rather than abruptly going to zero when the Moon passes in front of a star.

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