Hunting a black hole. Observations of the light from a certain star indicate that it is part of a binary (two-star) system. This visible starhas orbital speed v = 270 km/s, orbital period T = 23.2 days, and approximate mass m₁ = 6.5Ms, where Ms is the Sun's mass, 1.99 × 1030kg. Assume that the visible star and its companion star, which is dark and unseen, are both in circular orbits (see the figure). Find theratio of the approximate mass m² of the dark star to Ms.NumberUnitsM2mi

The question asks about the mass of a dark, unseen star in a binary system with a visible star. In…

Answered: Hunting a black hole. Observations of…

Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations and Connections

1st Edition

ISBN:9781133939146

Author:Katz, Debora M.

Publisher:Katz, Debora M.

Chapter39: Relativity

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 64PQ

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Similar questions

What would be the Schwarzschild radius, in light years, if our Milky Way galaxy of 100 billion stars collapsed into a black hole? Compare this to our distance from the center, about 13,000 light years.
A spacecraft in the shape of a long cylinder has a length of 100 m, and its mass with occupants is 1 000 kg. Ii has strayed too close to a black hole having a mass 100 times that of the Sun (Fig. P11.11). The nose of the spacecraft points toward the black hole, and the distance between the nose and the center of the black hole is 10.0 km. (a) Determine the total force on the spacecraft. (b) What is the difference in the gravitational fields acting on the occupants in the nose of the ship and on those in the rear of the ship, farthest from the black hole? (This difference in accelerations grows rapidly as the ship approaches the black hole. It puts the body of the ship under extreme tension and eventually tears it apart.)
A black hole is an object with mass, but no spatial extent. It truly is a particle. A black hole may form from a dead star. Such a black hole has a mass several times the mass of the Sun. Imagine a black hole whose mass is ten times the mass of the Sun. a. Would you expect the period of an object orbiting the black hole with a semimajor axis of 1 AU to have a period greater than, less than, or equal to 1 yr? Explain your reasoning. b. Use Equation 7.6 to calculate this period.
Plasketts binary system consists of two stars that revolve in a circular orbit about a center of mass midway between them. This statement implies that the masses of the two stars are equal (Fig. P11.19). Assume the orbital speed of each star is |v|=220km/s and the orbital period of each is 14.4 days. Find the mass M of each star. (For comparison, the mass of our Sun is 1.99 1030 kg.)
What characteristics must a binary star have to be a good candidate for a black hole? Why is each of these characteristics important?
As a person approaches the Schwarzschild radius fo a black hole, outside observers see all the processes of that person (their clocks, their heart rate, etc.) slowing down, and coming to a halst as they reach the Schwarzschild radius. (The person falling into the black hole sees their own processes unaffected.) But the speed of light is the same everywhere for all observers. What does this say about space as you approach the black hole?
How much would you weigh if you were suddenly transported to the white dwarf Sirius B? You may use your own weight (or if don’t want to own up to what it is, assume you weigh 70 kg or 150 lb). In this case, assume that the companion to Sirius has a mass equal to that of the Sun and a radius equal to that of Earth. Remember Newton’s law of gravity: F=GM1M2/R2 and that your weight is proportional to the force that you feel. What kind of star should you travel to if you want to lose weight (and not gain it)?
Since 1995, hundreds of extrasolar planets have been discovered. There is the exciting possibility that there is life on one or more of these planets. To support life similar to that on the Earth, the planet must have liquid water. For an Earth-like planet orbiting a star like the Sun, this requirement means that the planet must be within a habitable zone of 0.9 AU to 1.4 AU from the star. The semimajor axis of an extrasolar planet is inferred from its period. What range in periods corresponds to the habitable zone for an Earth-like Planet orbiting a Sun-like star?
. A compact neutron star has a mass of kg (about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun) but a radius of only m (approximately 6.2 mi!). If a clock on the surface of this exotic star marks the passage of 1 h of time, how much time is observed to pass on an identical clock located a very large distance from the neutron star?
A stellar black hole may form when a massive star dies. The mass of the star collapses down to a single point. Imagine an astronaut orbiting a black hole having eight times the mass of the Sun. Assume the orbit is circular. a. Find the speed of the astronaut if his orbital radius is r = 1 AU. b. Find his speed if his orbital radius is r = 11.8 km. c. CHECK and THINK: Compare your answers to the speed of light in a vacuum. What would the astronauts orbital speed be if his orbital radius were smaller than 11.8 km?
If the Sun were to collapse into a black hole, the point of no return for an investigator would be approximately 3 km from the center singularity. Would the investingator be able to survive visiting even 300 km from the center? Answer this by finding the difference in the gravitatoinal attraction the black holes exerts on a 1.0-kg mass at the head and at the feet of the investigator.
A neutron star is a cold, collapsed star with nuclear density. A particular neutron star has a mass twice that of our Sun with a radius of 12.0 km. (a) What would be the weight of a 100-kg astronaut on standing on its surface? (b) What does this tell us about landing on a neutron star?

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