Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781305960961
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 12, Problem 9P
To determine
If astronomers made a mistake and measure a size of our solar system is 7.3kpc rather than 8.3kpc from the center of the galaxy and the orbital velocity of the sun is 225 km/s, we have to find the minimum mass of the galaxy.
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If astronomers were to find they have made a mistake and our solar system is actually 7.8 (rather than 8.2) kpc from the center of the galaxy, but the orbital velocity of the sun is still 240 km/s, what is the minimum mass of the galaxy? (Hint: Use Kepler's third law.)
You observe a star orbiting in the outer parts of a galaxy. The distance to this galaxy is known, and you are able to take a spectra of this star and determine its velocity. The star is 22 kpc from the galaxy center and moving in a circular orbit with speed 304 km/s. Compute the total mass of the galaxy internal to the star's orbit. You will get a large number; express it in scientific notation and in units of solar masses [e.g., 4.2e10].
[Hint: there is a Box in Chapter 22 of your textbook that will be of help. See also the course formula sheet.]
If the active core of a galaxy contains a black hole of 106?Θ (1 million solar masses), what will the orbital velocity be for matter orbiting the black hole at a distance of 0.33 AU? (Hint: use the formula for orbital velocity: ?=√???; where ?=6.67×10−11 ?3?? ?2 and ?Θ= 2.0×1030 ??. Note: 1 ??=1.50×1011 ?)
Chapter 12 Solutions
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 12 - Why is it difficult to specify the dimensions of...Ch. 12 - Why didn’t astronomers before Shapley realize how...Ch. 12 - Prob. 3RQCh. 12 - Prob. 4RQCh. 12 - Prob. 5RQCh. 12 - Prob. 6RQCh. 12 - Prob. 7RQCh. 12 - Prob. 8RQCh. 12 - Prob. 9RQCh. 12 - Prob. 10RQ
Ch. 12 - Prob. 11RQCh. 12 - Prob. 12RQCh. 12 - Prob. 13RQCh. 12 - Prob. 14RQCh. 12 - Prob. 15RQCh. 12 - Prob. 16RQCh. 12 - Prob. 1DQCh. 12 - Prob. 2DQCh. 12 - Prob. 1PCh. 12 - Prob. 2PCh. 12 - Prob. 3PCh. 12 - Prob. 4PCh. 12 - Prob. 5PCh. 12 - Prob. 6PCh. 12 - Prob. 7PCh. 12 - If the Sun is 4.6 billion years old, how many...Ch. 12 - Prob. 9PCh. 12 - Prob. 10PCh. 12 - Prob. 11PCh. 12 - Prob. 12PCh. 12 - Prob. 1LTLCh. 12 - Prob. 2LTL
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- The best evidence for a black hole at the center of the Galaxy also comes from the application of Kepler’s third law. Suppose a star at a distance of 20 light-hours from the center of the Galaxy has an orbital speed of 6200 km/s. How much mass must be located inside its orbit?arrow_forwardWe have said that the Galaxy rotates differentially; that is, stars in the inner parts complete a full 360° orbit around the center of the Galaxy more rapidly than stars farther out. Use Kepler’s third law and the mass we derived in Exercise 25.19 to calculate the period of a star that is only 5000 light-years from the center. Now do the same calculation for a globular cluster at a distance of 50,000 light-years. Suppose the Sun, this star, and the globular cluster all fall on a straight line through the center of the Galaxy. Where will they be relative to each other after the Sun completes one full journey around the center of the Galaxy? (Assume that all the mass in the Galaxy is concentrated at its center.)arrow_forwardIf the diameter of the Milky Way Galaxys visible disk, 80,000 ly, is represented in a model by a dinner plate with a diameter of 10 inches, what is the model distance to galaxy M31, 2.6 millionly away? What is the model distance to the Virgo galaxy cluster, 16 Mpc away? (Convert answers to feet.)arrow_forward
- What are the two best ways to measure the distance to a nearby spiral galaxy, and how would it be measured?arrow_forwardAccording to Hubble’s law, what is the recessional velocity of a galaxy that is 108 light-years away from us? (Assume a Hubble constant of 22 km/s per million light-years.)arrow_forwardIf we now realize dwarf ellipticals are the most common type of galaxy, why did they escape our notice for so long?arrow_forward
- Describe the observations that convinced astronomers that M87 is an active galaxy.arrow_forwardSuppose that the outer stars of a galaxy have an orbital velocity of 150 km/s. If the radius of the galaxy is 4.0 kpc (1??? = 3.1 × 1016 ??), what is the orbital period of the outer stars in years?arrow_forwardwhy do you have to know the distance to a galaxy to find its mass?arrow_forward
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