Cosmic distances, Science

Assignment Help:

Cosmic Distances:

If  we asked you what the distance between Delhi and Kanyakumari is, you would say that it  is roughly 3000 km. Another way of answering the question would be that a train  takes.about 50 hours to cover the distance. And if  we know the average speed of a train, we would get a fairly good idea of  the distance. The dimensions of  the universe are so large that using familiar units of distance like kilometres would make little sense, Therefore, cosmic distances are measured in'"ight years". One  light year is the distance travelled by  light.  in  one year. Now, light travels,  about 300,000 kilometres in one second, i.e.  its speed is 3  X 105 kms. At this sped  it can travel seven times around the Earth in one second. A year has about 3X  107seconds (i.e.  about 30 million seconds) in it. Therefore, the distance light travelsin one year is about 

3  X 105m/s  X  3 X 107s=9  X 102km, i.e. about nine trillion kilometres. 

This unit of  length  is called a light year, It measures not time but distances, enormous distances. Space and time are interwoven. We cannot look out into space without looking back  into time. If we see a galaxy a billion  light years away, we are seeing it  theway it was a billion years ago. Thus, the distance  in  units of  light years also tells us how far back  into time we are looking.  


Related Discussions:- Cosmic distances

Motion in one dimension, what is the speed and velocity of a car that trave...

what is the speed and velocity of a car that travels 32 meters to the east and 12 meters in the same direction? the total time of travel in 3.0 seconds

The mop weighs less, The mop weighs less Put a floor mop in water. Wrin...

The mop weighs less Put a floor mop in water. Wring it out and then balance it on a triangular file placed on the corner of a table. Be sure you have it carefully balanced. Loo

Define nutrition, Define Nutrition To common man, the word 'Nutrition' ...

Define Nutrition To common man, the word 'Nutrition' implies food. Food is essential for growth and development. Physiology becomes an interlink between nutrition and healthy h

Explain the medulla oblongata, Explain the Medulla Oblongata The medull...

Explain the Medulla Oblongata The medulla extends from the pons above and is continuous with the spinal cord below as can be seen in Figure. It is about 2.5 cm long shaped like

Explain the discovery of cell, Explain the Discovery of Cell Let us stu...

Explain the Discovery of Cell Let us study here about the scientists who played a pioneer role in discovering the basic component of any living organism -the cell. Robert Hooke

Define the term - soil protozoa, Define the term - Soil protozoa These ...

Define the term - Soil protozoa These are unicellular but larger than bacteria, the size varying from a few microns to a few centimeters. The protozoa exist in all aerable soil

The ventricular system, The ventricular system While the ventricular syste...

The ventricular system While the ventricular system is naturally not involved in cognitive processing since it consists of cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid, it is good to

Define contribution of eosinophils, Define Contribution of Eosinophils ...

Define Contribution of Eosinophils They are specifically equipped to deal with a lot of parasites (all helminth worms). The coating of helminthes and some complement components

Air pollution by carbon monoxide, Air pollution by Carbon monoxide: Ca...

Air pollution by Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide is produced when organic materials such as gasoline, coal, charcoal, and trash are incompletely burnt. Virtually all stoves,

Amoeba, what is Amoeba shaped like

what is Amoeba shaped like

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd