Recently, Asteroid 2012 DA14 came within 34,200 km from the center of the earth at its point of closest approach. If the moon goes around the earth once every 27.5 days, what is the ratio of the distance of closest approach of DA14 to the radius of the orbit of the moon?
To find the ratio of the distance of closest approach of DA14 to the radius of the orbit of the moon, we need to calculate the respective distances first.
1. Calculate the distance of closest approach of DA14:
The question states that Asteroid 2012 DA14 came within 34,200 km from the center of the Earth at its point of closest approach.
2. Calculate the radius of the orbit of the moon:
The moon goes around the Earth once every 27.5 days. Since the moon's orbit is approximately circular, we can consider the radius of the orbit as the average distance from the center of the Earth to the moon.
The average distance from Earth to the moon is about 384,400 km.
3. Calculate the ratio:
To find the ratio, divide the distance of closest approach of DA14 by the radius of the orbit of the moon:
Ratio = (Distance of closest approach of DA14) / (Radius of the orbit of the moon)
Using the numbers from above, the calculation would be:
Ratio = 34,200 km / 384,400 km