In: Physics
Rotation: (a) The Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way at a speed of 220 km/s and a distance of 8 kpc. How much mass is interior to the Sun’s orbit, in units of the Sun’s mass?
(b) A star three times the distance from the center of the Milky Way also orbits at 220 km/s. How much mass is interior to its orbit? To solve this, use your answer from part (a) and a ratio.
(c) A star orbits the center of our galaxy at a radius of 1000 AU with a period of 15 years. Let us suppose that the star orbits a single body at the center of our galaxy, just like the earth orbits the sun. Using Kepler’s Third Law, as modified by Newton, compute the mass of this body.
(d) How fast does the star in (c) move, in km/s? Using the circular velocity equation, estimate the enclosed mass within its orbit. How does your answer compare to that of part (c)?