Question

Need help with part B

Wavelength and Frequency 7. (a) How long (in minutes) does it take light to reach the Earth from the Sun? (Light travels at 3.00*10% m/s. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is 93.0 million miles.) (b) A signal sent from the Earth would currently take 6.09618 hours to reach the NASA probe New Horizons, which recently passed Kupier Belt Object 2014 MU69 ("Ultima Thule"). What is the distance from Earth to New Horizons in astronomical units, AU, if 1 AU = 1.495978707x10" m? (An Astronomical Unit, is the distance between the Sun and the Earth, and is a common unit of measurement in astronomy.) (10 pts)

Answer 1

Part a.

Formula: c = $\lambda$/t

i.e. 3*10⁸ m/s = 93*10⁶*1609.34 m/t

i.e. The time required (t) = 498.8954 s or 8.315 min

Part b.

Formula: c = $\lambda$/t

i.e. 3*10⁸ m/s = $\lambda$/6.09618*60*60 s

i.e. The distance from Earth to New Horizons ($\lambda$) = 6.5838744*10¹² m or 6.5838744*10¹²/(1.495978707*10¹¹) AU = 44.0105 AU