Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781337399920
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 18, Problem 2SOP
To determine
The number of Earth like extra solar planets around Sun-like stars within
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In a star of 1 solar mass (M☉), the core hydrogen burning phase, also known as the main sequence phase, lasts for approximately 10 billion years.
Suppose there's a star of 15 solar masses (M☉). Stars of higher mass burn through their hydrogen at a faster rate, following an approximate relation that the lifetime of a star on the main sequence (T) is proportional to its mass (M) raised to the power of -2.5 (T ∝ M^-2.5).
Calculate approximately how long this 15 solar mass star would remain in the main sequence phase, compared to the 1 solar mass star.
At the average density of a star-forming molecular cloud, about 900 atoms per cm3, determine how large a sphere you would need to encompass mass equal to that of the Sun? Enter the radius of this sphere in light-years. (HINTS: 900 atoms per cm3 corresponds to a density of 1.51×10-18kg/m^3; the mass of the Sun is 2×1030kg) (The volume of a sphere is 4/3 * π * R3) (my previous answer of 6.812 X 1015 was incorrect)
For a main sequence star with luminosity L, how many kilograms of hydrogen is being converted into helium per second? Use the formula that you derive to estimate the mass of hydrogen atoms that are converted into helium in the interior of the sun (LSun = 3.9 x 1026 W).
(Note: the mass of a hydrogen atom is 1 mproton and the mass of a helium atom is 3.97 mproton. You need four hydrogen nuclei to form one helium nucleus.)
Chapter 18 Solutions
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 18 - Why was the nebular hypothesis never fully...Ch. 18 - What produced the helium now present in the Suns...Ch. 18 - What produced the iron and heavier elements such...Ch. 18 - Prob. 4RQCh. 18 - What evidence can you give that disks of gas and...Ch. 18 - Why is the solar nebula theory considered a theory...Ch. 18 - According to the solar nebula theory, why is...Ch. 18 - According to the solar nebula theory, why is there...Ch. 18 - Why does the solar nebula theory predict that...Ch. 18 - What evidence can you give that the Solar System...
Ch. 18 - What planet in the Solar System is larger than the...Ch. 18 - Why is almost every solid surface in the Solar...Ch. 18 - What is the difference between condensation and...Ch. 18 - Why dont Terrestrial planets have ring systems...Ch. 18 - How does the solar nebula theory help you...Ch. 18 - Prob. 16RQCh. 18 - If rocks obtained from the Moon indicate an age of...Ch. 18 - Which is older, the Moon or the Sun? How do you...Ch. 18 - How does the solar nebula theory explain the...Ch. 18 - Did hydrogen gas condense from the nebula as the...Ch. 18 - What happens if a planet has differentiated? Would...Ch. 18 - Order the following steps in the formation of a...Ch. 18 - Which step(s) listed in the previous question can...Ch. 18 - Describe two processes that could melt the...Ch. 18 - What is the evidence that Jupiter and Saturn are...Ch. 18 - Describe two processes that cleared the solar...Ch. 18 - What is the difference between a planetesimal and...Ch. 18 - Does Uranus have enough mass to have formed by...Ch. 18 - What properties of the gas and dust disks observed...Ch. 18 - Why would the astronomically short lifetime of gas...Ch. 18 - Prob. 31RQCh. 18 - Describe three methods to find extrasolar planets.Ch. 18 - Why is the existence of hot Jupiters puzzling?...Ch. 18 - The evidence is overwhelming that the Grand Canyon...Ch. 18 - Prob. 35RQCh. 18 - If you observed the Solar System from the vantage...Ch. 18 - Venus can be as bright as apparent magnitude 4.7...Ch. 18 - What is the smallest-diameter crater you can...Ch. 18 - Prob. 4PCh. 18 - Prob. 5PCh. 18 - You analyze a sample of a meteorite that landed on...Ch. 18 - You analyze a sample of a meteorite that landed on...Ch. 18 - Prob. 8PCh. 18 - Examine Table 18-2. What might a planets...Ch. 18 - Examine Table 18-2. What might a planets...Ch. 18 - Suppose that Earth grew to its present size in 10...Ch. 18 - Prob. 12PCh. 18 - Prob. 13PCh. 18 - Prob. 1SOPCh. 18 - Prob. 2SOPCh. 18 - What do you see in this image that indicates this...Ch. 18 - Why do astronomers conclude that the surface of...Ch. 18 - Prob. 3LTLCh. 18 - Prob. 4LTL
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- H II regions can exist only if there is a nearby star hot enough to ionize hydrogen. Hydrogen is ionized only by radiation with wavelengths shorter than 91.2 nm. What is the temperature of a star that emits its maximum energy at 91.2 nm? (Use Wien’s law from Radiation and Spectra.) Based on this result, what are the spectral types of those stars likely to provide enough energy to produce H II regions?arrow_forwardIn the HR diagrams for some young clusters, stars of both very low and very high luminosity are off to the right of the main sequence, whereas those of intermediate luminosity are on the main sequence. Can you offer an explanation for that? Sketch an HR diagram for such a cluster.arrow_forwardGive several reasons the Orion molecular cloud is such a useful “laboratory” for studying the stages of star formation.arrow_forward
- You can use the equation in Exercise 22.34 to estimate the approximate ages of the clusters in Figure 22.10, Figure 22.12, and Figure 22.13. Use the information in the figures to determine the luminosity of the most massive star still on the main sequence. Now use the data in Table 18.3 to estimate the mass of this star. Then calculate the age of the cluster. This method is similar to the procedure used by astronomers to obtain the ages of clusters, except that they use actual data and model calculations rather than simply making estimates from a drawing. How do your ages compare with the ages in the text? Figure 22.10 NGC 2264 HR Diagram. Compare this HR diagram to that in Figure 22.8; although the points scatter a bit more here, the theoretical and observational diagrams are remarkably, and satisfyingly, similar. Figure 22.12 Cluster M41. (a) Cluster M41 is older than NGC 2264 (see Figure 22.10) and contains several red giants. Some of its more massive stars are no longer close to the zero-age main sequence (red line). (b) This ground-based photograph shows the open cluster M41. Note that it contains several orange-color stars. These are stars that have exhausted hydrogen in their centers, and have swelled up to become red giants. (credit b: modification of work by NOAO/AURA/NSF) Figure 22.13 HR Diagram for an Older Cluster. We see the HR diagram for a hypothetical older cluster at an age of 4.24 billion years. Note that most of the stars on the upper part of the main sequence have turned off toward the red-giant region. And the most massive stars in the cluster have already died and are no longer on the diagram. Characteristics of Main-Sequence Starsarrow_forwardThe star cluster shown in this image contains a few red giants as well as main-sequence stars ranging from spectral type B to M. Discuss the likelihood that exoplanets orbiting any of these stars might be home to life. (Hint: Estimate the age of the cluster.)arrow_forwardWhy is star formation more likely to occur in cold molecular clouds than in regions where the temperature of the interstellar medium is several hundred thousand degrees?arrow_forward
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