1. The gas cloud known as the Crab Nebula can be seen with even a small telescope. It is the remnant of a supernova, a cataclysmic explosion of a star. The explosion was seen on earth on July 4, 1054 AD. The streamers glow with the characteristic red color of heated hydrogen gas. In a laboratory on the earth, heated hydrogen produces red light with a frequency 4.568 × 10¹4 Hz; the red light received from the streamers in the Crab Nebula pointed toward the earth has frequency 4.586 × 10¹4 Hz. (a) Estimate the speed with which the outer edges of the Crab Nebula are expanding. Assume that the speed of the center of the nebula relative to the earth is negligible. (b) Assuming that the expansion speed has been constant since the supernova explosion, estimate the diameter of the nebula. (c) The angular diameter of the Crab Nebula as seen from earth is about 5 arc minutes (1 arc minute = 1/60 of a degree). Estimate the distance (in light years) to the Crab Nebula and estimate the year in which the supernova explosion actually took place.

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ISBN:9781305952300
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Chapter1: Units, Trigonometry. And Vectors
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1CQ: Estimate the order of magnitude of the length, in meters, of each of the following; (a) a mouse, (b)...
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1. The gas cloud known as the Crab Nebula can be seen with even a small telescope.
It is the remnant of a supernova, a cataclysmic explosion of a star. The explosion was seen
on earth on July 4, 1054 AD. The streamers glow with the characteristic red color of heated
hydrogen gas. In a laboratory on the earth, heated hydrogen produces red light with a
frequency 4.568 × 10¹4 Hz; the red light received from the streamers in the Crab Nebula
pointed toward the earth has frequency 4.586 × 10¹4 Hz.
(a) Estimate the speed with which the outer edges of the Crab Nebula are expanding.
Assume that the speed of the center of the nebula relative to the earth is negligible.
(b) Assuming that the expansion speed has been constant since the supernova explosion,
estimate the diameter of the nebula.
(c) The angular diameter of the Crab Nebula as seen from earth is about 5 arc minutes
(1 arc minute = 1/60 of a degree). Estimate the distance (in light years) to the Crab Nebula
and estimate the year in which the supernova explosion actually took place.
Transcribed Image Text:1. The gas cloud known as the Crab Nebula can be seen with even a small telescope. It is the remnant of a supernova, a cataclysmic explosion of a star. The explosion was seen on earth on July 4, 1054 AD. The streamers glow with the characteristic red color of heated hydrogen gas. In a laboratory on the earth, heated hydrogen produces red light with a frequency 4.568 × 10¹4 Hz; the red light received from the streamers in the Crab Nebula pointed toward the earth has frequency 4.586 × 10¹4 Hz. (a) Estimate the speed with which the outer edges of the Crab Nebula are expanding. Assume that the speed of the center of the nebula relative to the earth is negligible. (b) Assuming that the expansion speed has been constant since the supernova explosion, estimate the diameter of the nebula. (c) The angular diameter of the Crab Nebula as seen from earth is about 5 arc minutes (1 arc minute = 1/60 of a degree). Estimate the distance (in light years) to the Crab Nebula and estimate the year in which the supernova explosion actually took place.
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