The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134874364
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
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Question
Chapter 1, Problem 39EAP
(a)
To determine
To Estimate: The number of stars in the Milky Way.
(b)
To determine
To Compare: The estimated number of stars in the Milky Way with the commonly accepted value.
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On a 1-to-10^19 scale our Milky Way galaxy would just about fit on a soccer field. On this scale, how far is the distance from the sun to alpha centauri (one of the closest stars to the sun, at a distance of 4.4 light years).
1. A distant galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10 and is 4,000 kpc away. What is its absolute magnitude? (Round your answer to at least one decimal place.)
The difference in absolute magnitude between two objects viewed from the same distance is related to their fluxes by the flux-magnitude relation.
FA/FB= 2.51(MB − MA)
2. How does the absolute magnitude of this galaxy compare to the Milky Way
(M = −21)?
Different wavelengths (frequencies) of light let us see different aspects of the galaxy, which type of light is best for the followingcomponents of the Milky Way?
A) Radio -> Cold gas; Visible -> Stars; X-rays -> Hot gas; Gamma-rays -> Cosmic rays
B) Radio -> Stars; Visible -> Cold gas; X-rays -> Hot gas; Gamma-rays -> Cosmic Rays
C) Radio -> Hot gas; Visible -> Stars; X-rays -> Cold gas; Gamma-rays -> Cosmic Rays
D) Radio -> Cold gas; Visible -> Cosmic Rays; X-rays -> Hot gas; Gamma-rays -> Stars
Chapter 1 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
Ch. 1 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 4VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 1 - Define astronomical unit and light-year.Ch. 1 - Explain the statement “The farther away we look in...Ch. 1 - Prob. 4EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 1 - What do we mean when we say that the universe is...
Ch. 1 - In what sense are we “star stuff”?Ch. 1 - Use the cosmic calendar to describe how the human...Ch. 1 - Briefly explain Earth’s daily rotation and annual...Ch. 1 - Briefly describe our solar system’s location and...Ch. 1 - Prob. 11EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 12EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 13EAPCh. 1 - Does it Make Sense? Decide whether the statement...Ch. 1 - Prob. 15EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 17EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 1 - Which of the following correctly lists our ‘cosmic...Ch. 1 - An astronomical unit is (a) any planet’s average...Ch. 1 - The star Betelgeuse is about 600 light-years away....Ch. 1 - Prob. 26EAPCh. 1 - The total number of stars in the observable...Ch. 1 - Prob. 28EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 29EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 30EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 32EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 34EAPCh. 1 - Thinking About Scale. One key to success in...Ch. 1 - Prob. 36EAPCh. 1 - A Human Adventure. Astronomical discoveries...Ch. 1 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 41EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 42EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 43EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 45EAPCh. 1 - Spacecraft Communication. We use radio waves,...Ch. 1 - Prob. 47EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 48EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 49EAPCh. 1 - Driving Trips. Imagine that you could drive your...Ch. 1 - Faster Trip. Suppose you wanted to reach Alpha...Ch. 1 - Prob. 52EAPCh. 1 - Earth Rotation Speed. Mathematical Insight 1.3...Ch. 1 - Order of Magnitude Estimate. Mathematical Insight...
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- Assume that dark matter is uniformly distributed throughout the Milky Way, not just in the outer halo but also throughout the bulge and in the disk, where the solar system lives. How much dark matter would you expect there to be inside the solar system? Would you expect that to be easily detectable? Hint: For the radius of the Milky Way’s dark matter halo, use R=300,000 light-years; for the solar system’s radius, use 100 AU; and start by calculating the ratio of the two volumes.arrow_forwardThe dwarf galaxy in Sagittarius is the one closest to the Milky Way, yet it was discovered only in 1994. Can you think of a reason it was not discovered earlier? (Hint: Think about what else is in its constellation.)arrow_forwardThe simulated box of galaxy filaments and superclusters shown in Figure 28.29 stretches across 1 billion light-years. If you were to make a scale model where that box covered the core of a university campus, say 1 km, then how big would the Milky Way Galaxy be? How far away would the Andromeda galaxy be in the scale model? Figure 28.29 Growth of Large-Scale Structure as Calculated by Supercomputers. The boxes show how filaments and superclusters of galaxies grow over time, from a relatively smooth distribution of dark matter and gas, with few galaxies formed in the first 2 billion years after the Big Bang, to the very clumpy strings of galaxies with large voids today. Compare the last image in this sequence with the actual distribution of nearby galaxies shown in Figure 28.21. (credit: modification of work by CXC/MPE/V.Springel)arrow_forward
- Suppose the Milky Way was a band of light extending only halfway around the sky (that is, in a semicircle). What, then, would you conclude about the Sun’s location in the Galaxy? Give your reasoning.arrow_forwardExplain why we see the Milky Way as a faint band of light stretching across the sky.arrow_forwardStars form in the Milky Way at a rate of about 1 solar mass per year. At this rate, how long would it take for all the interstellar gas in the Milky Way to be turned into stars if there were no fresh gas coming in from outside? How does this compare to the estimated age of the universe, 14 billion years? What do you conclude from this?arrow_forward
- If the speed of light is 3.0 × 105 km/s, how many kilometers are in a light-year? How many meters? (Hint: First look up or calculate how many seconds are in a year.)arrow_forwardSuppose there are 12000.0 civil actions broadcasting radio signals in the Milky Way Galaxy at the moment. On average, how many stars would have to be search before a signal is heard? Assume that there are 3 x 1011 stars in the Galaxy and one civilization per star.arrow_forwardEdwin Hubble established the existence of separate, distant galaxies when he found __________ stars in the __________ Nebula and used them to measure its distance. He did this work with the world’s largest telescope (at the time) at the _____________. Hubble classified galaxies on the basis of their shapes, into spirals, ____________, and irregulars. Later, working with his assistant, ___________, he showed by using __________, that most of the galaxies were moving away from us, and that the further away a galaxy was, the ___________ it was moving away.arrow_forward
- Globular clusters revolve around the Galaxy in highly elliptical orbits. Where would you expect the clusters to spend most of their time? (Think of Kepler’s laws.) At any given time, would you expect most globular clusters to be moving at high or low speeds with respect to the center of the Galaxy? Why? (If you would like to learn more about globular clusters, read Section 22.2 of the book, though it is not necessary to answer this question)arrow_forwardAmong the globular clusters orbiting a distant galaxy, one is moving at 534 km/s and is located 14 kpc from the center of the galaxy. Assuming the globular cluster is located outside most of the mass of the galaxy, what is the mass of the galaxy? Convert your answer to solar masses. (Hint: Use the formula for circular velocity, Vc = GM r ; make sure you convert relevant quantities to units of meters, kilograms, and seconds. Note: 1 pc = 3.1 ✕ 1016 m.)arrow_forwardThe Large Magellanic Cloud is a small satellite galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. It is currently orbiting the Milky Way at a distance of about 160,000 light-years from the galactic center at a velocity of about 300 km/s. Use these values in the orbital velocity law to get an estimate of the Milky Wayʹs mass. (The value you obtain is a fairly rough estimate because the orbit of the Large Magellanic Cloud is elliptical, not circular.)arrow_forward
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