Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 20, Problem 29E
Suppose that, instead of being inside the Local Bubble, the Sun were deep inside a giant molecular cloud. What would the night sky look like as seen from Earth at various wavelengths?
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Explain why the sky is blue and how that relates to reflection nebulae.
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Hint: Use Wien's law:
?max =
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T
How does that compare with 91.2 nm, the wavelength of photons with just enough energy to ionize hydrogen?
-The wavelength calculated above is shorter than 91.2 nm. Photons at this calculated wavelength will have more than enough energy to ionize hydrogen.
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Chapter 20 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 20 - Identify several dark nebulae in photographs in...Ch. 20 - Why do nebulae near hot stars look red? Why do...Ch. 20 - Describe the characteristics of the various kinds...Ch. 20 - Prepare a table listing the different ways in...Ch. 20 - Describe how the 21-cm line of hydrogen is formed....Ch. 20 - Describe the properties of the dust grains found...Ch. 20 - Why is it difficult to determine where cosmic rays...Ch. 20 - What causes reddening of starlight? Explain how...Ch. 20 - Why do molecules, including H2 and more complex...Ch. 20 - Why can’t we use visible light telescopes to study...
Ch. 20 - The mass of the interstellar medium is determined...Ch. 20 - Where does interstellar dust come from? How does...Ch. 20 - Figure 20.2 shows a reddish glow around the star...Ch. 20 - If the red glow around Antares is indeed produced...Ch. 20 - Even though neutral hydrogen is the most abundant...Ch. 20 - The terms H II and H2 are both pronounced “H two.”...Ch. 20 - Suppose someone told you that she had discovered H...Ch. 20 - Describe the spectrum of each of the following: A....Ch. 20 - According to the text, a star must be hotter than...Ch. 20 - From the comments in the text about which kinds of...Ch. 20 - One way to calculate the size and shape of the...Ch. 20 - New stars form in regions where the density of gas...Ch. 20 - Thinking about the topics in this chapter, here is...Ch. 20 - Stars form in the Milky Way at a rate of about 1...Ch. 20 - The 21-cm line can be used not just to find out...Ch. 20 - Astronomers recently detected light emitted by a...Ch. 20 - We can detect 21-cm emission from other galaxies...Ch. 20 - We have said repeatedly that blue light undergoes...Ch. 20 - Suppose that, instead of being inside the Local...Ch. 20 - Suppose that, instead of being inside the Local...Ch. 20 - A molecular cloud is about 1000 times denser than...Ch. 20 - Would you expect to be able to detect an H II...Ch. 20 - Suppose that you gathered a ball of interstellar...Ch. 20 - At the average density of the interstellar medium,...Ch. 20 - Consider a grain of sand that contains 1 mg of...Ch. 20 - H II regions can exist only if there is a nearby...Ch. 20 - In the text, we said that the five-times ionized...Ch. 20 - Dust was originally discovered because the stars...Ch. 20 - How would the density inside a cold cloud (T=10K)...Ch. 20 - The text says that the Local Fluff, which...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Suppose that, instead of being inside the Local Bubble, the Sun were inside an H II region. What would the night sky look like at various wavelengths?arrow_forwardWhy do nebulae near hot stars look red? Why do dust clouds near stars usually look blue?arrow_forwardWhat is a planetary nebula? Will we have one around the Sun?arrow_forward
- Figure 20.2 shows a reddish glow around the star Antares, and yet the caption says that is a dust cloud. What observations would you make to determine whether the red glow is actually produced by dust or whether it is produced by an H II region? Figure 20.2 Various Types of Interstellar Matter. The reddish nebulae in this spectacular photograph glow with light emitted by hydrogen atoms. The darkest areas are clouds of dust that block the light from stars behind them. The upper part of the picture is filled with the bluish glow of light reflected from hot stars embedded in the outskirts of a huge, cool cloud of dust and gas. The cool supergiant star Antares can be seen as a big, reddish patch in the lower-left part of the picture. The star is shedding some of its outer atmosphere and is surrounded by a cloud of its own making that reflects the red light of the star. The red nebula in the middle right partially surrounds the star Sigma Scorpii. (To the right of Antares, you can see M4, a much more distant cluster of extremely old stars.) (credit: modification of work by ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2)arrow_forwardGiven that the solar spectrum corresponds to a temperature of 5800 K and peaks at a wavelength of 500 nm, use Wien's law to determine the wavelength corresponding to the peak of the black-body curve in the solar photosphere of the Sun, where the temperature is 104 Karrow_forwardWhy are emission nebulae red ?arrow_forward
- At the average density of of a star-forming molecular cloud, about 1180 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: 1180 atoms per cm3 corresponds to a density of 1.97×10-18kg/m^3; the mass of the Sun is 2×1030kg)arrow_forwardHow many Big Macs can fit in the Grand Canyon taking into account gravity and the varying dimensions of the Grand Canyon?arrow_forwardGiven that the solar spectrum corresponds to a temperature of 5800 K and peaks at a wavelength of 500 nm, use Wien's law to determine the wavelength corresponding to the peak of the black-body curve in the convection zone of the Sun, where the temperature is 105 Karrow_forward
- Which of the following statements is/are true regarding a nebula? Which of the following statements is/are true regarding a nebula? It is believed that each planet in our solar system began as its own nebula. Over time, a nebula becomes cooler and grows in size. The density of a nebula is greatest at the edges and least in the center. There are no nebulas left in our galaxy because they have all formed stars and planets. Over time, a star will form at the center of a nebula.arrow_forward1 Solar constant, Sun, and the 10 pc distance! The luminosity of Sun is + 4- 1026 W - 4- 1033ergs-1, The Sun is located at a distance of m from the Earth. The Earth receives a radiant flux (above its atmosphere) of F = 1365W m- 2, also known as the solar constant. What would have been the Solar contact if the Sun was at a distance of 10 pc ? 1AU 1 1.5-+ 1011arrow_forward(a) Rank the following components of the interstellar medium in order of the wavelengths at which they are observed, longest wavelength first: clouds of neutral hydrogen, coronal gas, interstellar dust, nebulae. Longest to Shortest? (b) Rank the same material in order of decreasing temperature from hottest to coolest. Hottest to Coolest?arrow_forward
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