Question

How will you ‘weigh the sun’, that is estimate its mass?The mean orbital radius of the earth around the sun is 1.5 × $10^{8}$ km.

Answer 1

Hey friend ,

Answer ~~

Orbital radius of the Earth around the Sun, r = 1.5 × 10^11 meter

Orbital radius of the Earth around the Sun, r = 1.5 × 10^11 meterTime taken by the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun,

T = 1 year = 365.25 days

= 365.25 × 24 × 60 × 60 s Universal gravitational constant,

G = 6.67 × 10–11 Nm2 kg–2

Thus, mass of the Sun can be calculated using the relation,

M = 4π2r3 / GT2

= 4 × 3.142 × (1.5 × 10^11)^3 / [ 6.67 × 10^-11 × (365.25 × 24 × 60 × 60)^2]

= 4 × 3.142 × (1.5 × 10^11)^3 / [ 6.67 × 10^-11 × (365.25 × 24 × 60 × 60)^2]= 2 × 10^30 kg

Hence, the mass of the Sun is 2 × 10^30 kg.