Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 19, Problem 14E
Parallaxes of stars are sometimes measured relative to the positions of galaxies or distant objects called quasars. Why is this a good technique?
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The farthest objects in our Universe discovered by modern astronomers are so distant that light emitted by them takes billions of years to reach the Earth. These objects (known as quasars) have many puzzling features, which have not yet been satisfactorily explained. What is the distance in km of a quasar from which light takes 3.0 billion years to reach us ?
In vacuum, the H-alpha line has a rest-frame wavelength of 656.461 nm. You took a spectrum of the center of a galaxy at an observatory on the ground and measured a wavelength of 656.65 nm for the H-alpha line. What is the radial velocity of the galaxy relative to the observer [km/s]? Note that the index of refraction of air is 1.0003 at that wavelength. As a result, the rest-frame wavelength of the H-alpha line in air differs from the rest-frame wavelength in vacuum.
Two distant galaxies are observed to have redshifts z1 = 0.05 and z2 = 0.15, and distances d1 = 220.60 Mpc and d2 = 661.75 Mpc, respectively. Assuming the motion of the galaxies is due to the Hubble flow, determine the value of the Hubble constant, H0. Show how the value of H0 can be used to estimate the age of the Universe, describing any assumptions that you make. Use the value of H0 you have obtained to estimate the age of the Universe, expressing your answer in Gyr.
Chapter 19 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 19 - Explain how parallax measurements can be used to...Ch. 19 - Suppose you have discovered a new cepheid variable...Ch. 19 - Explain how you would use the spectrum of a star...Ch. 19 - Which method would you use to obtain the distance...Ch. 19 - What are the luminosity class and spectral type of...Ch. 19 - The meter was redefined as a reference to Earth,...Ch. 19 - While a meter is the fundamental unit of length,...Ch. 19 - Most distances in the Galaxy are measured in...Ch. 19 - The AU is defined as the average distance between...Ch. 19 - What would be the advantage of making parallax...
Ch. 19 - Parallaxes are measured in fractions of an...Ch. 19 - For centuries, astronomers wondered whether comets...Ch. 19 - The Sun is much closer to Earth than are the...Ch. 19 - Parallaxes of stars are sometimes measured...Ch. 19 - Estimating the luminosity class of an M star is...Ch. 19 - Figure 19.9 is the light curve for the prototype...Ch. 19 - Which of the following can you determine about a...Ch. 19 - A G2 star has a luminosity 100 times that of the...Ch. 19 - A star has a temperature of 10,000 K and a...Ch. 19 - What is the advantage of measuring a parallax...Ch. 19 - What is the disadvantage of the parallax method,...Ch. 19 - Luhman 16 and WISE 0720 are brown dwarfs, also...Ch. 19 - Most stars close to the Sun are red dwarfs. What...Ch. 19 - Why would it be easier to measure the...Ch. 19 - When Henrietta Leavitt discovered the...Ch. 19 - A radar astronomer who is new at the job claims...Ch. 19 - The New Horizons probe flew past Pluto in July...Ch. 19 - Estimate the maximum and minimum time it takes a...Ch. 19 - The Apollo program (not the lunar missions with...Ch. 19 - In 1974, the Arecibo Radio telescope in Puerto...Ch. 19 - Demonstrate that 1 pc equals 3.091013 k m and that...Ch. 19 - The best parallaxes obtained with Hipparcos have...Ch. 19 - Astronomers are always making comparisons between...Ch. 19 - Gaia will have greatly improved precision over the...Ch. 19 - Using the same techniques as used in Exercise...Ch. 19 - The human eye is capable of an angular resolution...Ch. 19 - How much better is the resolution of the Gaia...Ch. 19 - The most recently discovered system close to Earth...Ch. 19 - What would the parallax of Luhman 16 (see Exercise...Ch. 19 - The New Horizons probe that passed by Pluto during...Ch. 19 - What physical properties are different for an M...
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- Figure P38.21 shows a jet of material (at the upper right) being ejected by galaxy M87 (at the lower left). Such jets are believed to be evidence of supermassive black holes at the center of a galaxy. Suppose two jets of material from the center of a galaxy are ejected in opposite directions. Both jets move at 0.750c relative to the galaxy center. Determine the speed of one jet relative to the other. Figure P 38.21arrow_forwardFigure P9.21 shows a jet of material (at the upper right) being ejected by galaxy M87 (at the lower left). Such jets are believed to be evidence of supermassive black holes at the center of a galaxy. Suppose two jets of material from the center of a galaxy are ejected in opposite directions. Both jets move at 0.750c relative to the galaxy center. Determine the speed of one jet relative to the other. Figure P9.21arrow_forwardThe rest-frame (natural) Wavelength of the H-a line of hydrogen is 656.3 nm. In the spectrum of light from a galaxy we observe, it is shifted to 763.8 nm. Calculate the reccession speed of the galaxy in m/s.arrow_forward
- The Blue hydrogen line has a frequency of 6.90 x 1014 Hz. What will be the observed wavelength of the blue line of a galaxy that is moving away from Earth at 0.4c?arrow_forward(Astronomy) PSR1913+16 Problem III. As the shape of the graph shown is not skewed, the orbit can be assumed circular. Also assume the system is viewed edge-on (that is, the orbital system is not inclined to the observer). Using these assumptions, the maximum radial velocities, and the orbital period T = 7.75 hours, find the orbital radii of the stars from the center of mass. (Hints: The figures below may be helpful. Use v = 2πr/P, where v is velocity, P is period, and r is radius. Note: redshifts have positive radial velocities values in the upper figure, whereas blueshifts have negative radial velocity values.)arrow_forwardWhat speed should a galaxy move with respect to us so that the sodium line at 589.0 nm is observed at 589.6 nm?arrow_forward
- In the mass function f(Ma, M) = MB/(1+ Ma/MB)² sin°i = M/(Ma + Mb) sin°i it gives us a lower limit on the mass of the unseen component of a single-lined spectroscopic binary. Why is the limit is on the unseen component rather than the component that we see?arrow_forwardA distant galaxy is observed with a spectrometer. This galaxy produces an emission line that is identified as a Hydrogen transition that normally has a wavelength of 21 cm. For this galaxy, however, the emission line is observed at a wavelength of 33 cm. How fast is this galaxy moving away from us in units of km/s [round off your answer to 1 km/s]arrow_forwardCan someone please check the calculations on this for ρ = m/V_air = nM/V_air = (P/RT)M ρ = (102325)/(287310)(0.029) I'm getting 12.2809 etc.arrow_forward
- 10arrow_forwardThe spectral lines of various elements are detected in light from a galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. An ultraviolet line from singly ionized calcium (lS = 393 nm) is observed at wavelength l0 = 414 nm, redshifted into the visible portion of the spectrum. At what speed is this galaxy receding from us?arrow_forwardMany galaxies appear to have supermassive black holes in their centers powering active galactic nuclei (also called AGN). The Schwarzschild radius of these supermassive black holes can be estimated in part by watching for changes in the brightness of the surrounding AGN and measuring the timescale of those changes. Assume we observe an AGN and determine it varies with a timescale of 9.85 minutes, which implies a Schwarzschild radius on the order of 1.77x1011 meters. Estimate the mass of this supermassive black hole. kgarrow_forward
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