The nearest star beyond the Sun is Proxima Centauri, which is approximately 4.22 ly away. Suppose Proxima Centauri is surrounded by an Oort cloud the same size as our own. What would be the distance between these Oort clouds as a fraction of the distance between these two stars?
A)0.27
B)0.63
C)0.87
D)0.99

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The distance between the two Oort clouds would be proportional to the distance between the two stars. The ratio of the distances can be calculated as follows:

Distance between Oort clouds = 2 x distance from star to Oort cloud
Distance between Proxima Centauri and its Oort cloud = 4.22 ly
Distance between our Sun and its Oort cloud = 0.5 ly (approximately)
Distance between the two Oort clouds = 2 x (4.22 ly + 0.5 ly) = 9.44 ly
Ratio of distances = (9.44 ly) / (4.22 ly) = 2.234
Therefore, the distance between the two Oort clouds is 2.234 times the distance between the two stars. Expressed as a fraction, this is approximately 0.63. Therefore, the answer is B.

The Nearest Star Beyond the Sun Is Proxima Centauri, Which