Name: cindy c loc
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 1993 - 1999
Question:
Why do planets appear to glow?
How did they measure the distance between the planets?
Is their any relationship between the distance of the planets and the
circumference of the planets?
Replies:
Why do the planets glow?
The planets do not produce any light of their own. The sun shines on them, and
we see the reflected light.
How is the distance to the planets measured?
The most accurate method in use today uses radio waves, which travel at the
speed of light. We can send radio waves from the
Earth, which bounce off the planets and then return to us. Since we can measure
the time delay between sending the signal and receiving it, and we know how fast
the waves are travelling, we can figure out the distance to the planet.
Is there
a relationship between distance and circumference?
The planets are arranged in such a way that
the smaller planets are located nearest the Sun (except for Pluto, which may be
an exceptional case). I don't think anyone really knows for sure why this is the
case.
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