Universe
11th Edition
ISBN: 9781319039448
Author: Robert Geller, Roger Freedman, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 20, Problem 8Q
To determine
The manner in which the origin and evolution of life on Earth might have been affected if the
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In a globular cluster, astronomers (someday) discover a star with the same mass as our Sun, but consisting entirely of hydrogen and helium. Is this star a good place to point our SETI antennas and search for radio signals from an advanced civilization?
Group of answer choices
No, because such a star (and any planets around it) would not have the heavier elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) that we believe are necessary to start life as we know it.
Yes, because globular clusters are among the closest star clusters to us, so that they would be easy to search for radio signals.
Yes, because we have already found radio signals from another civilization living near a star in a globular cluster.
No, because such a star would most likely not have a stable (main-sequence) stage that is long enough for a technological civilization to develop.
Yes, because such a star is probably old and a technological civilization will have had a long time to evolve and develop there.
As a cluster of stars begins to age, which type of star in the cluster will move off the main sequence of the H-R diagram first?
1)
all the stars in a cluster are born at the same time; so they will all move off the main sequence at the same time, as they evolve
2)
G type stars, like our Sun
3)
M type stars, which are the coolest
4)
the lowest mass stars, which have the least amount of fuel for fusion
5)
the O and B type stars
Select all of the statements about the main sequence stage in the life of a star that are TRUE:
All stars spend the majority of their lives in the main sequence stage.
Most stars lose a significant amount of mass while they are on the Main Sequence.
Different stars spend a different amounts of time (number of years) in the main sequence stage, depending on the characteristics they were born with.
Main sequence stars are rare in the Galaxy, so we are lucky to be living around one.
During the main sequence stage, energy to power the star is provided by the fusion of hydrogen.
Chapter 20 Solutions
Universe
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- Suppose no stars more massive than about 2 MSunhad ever formed. Would life as we know it have been able to develop? Why or why not?arrow_forwardWould a human have been possible during the first generation of stars that formed right after the Big Bang? Why or why not?arrow_forwardIn the text, we said that the five-times ionized oxygen (OVI) seen in hot gas must have been produced by supernova shocks that heated the gas to millions of degrees, and not by starlight, the way H II is produced. Producing OVI by light requires wavelengths shorter than 10.9 nm. The hottest observed stars have surface temperatures of about 50,000 K. Could they produce OVI?arrow_forward
- suppose a planetary nebula is 2.8 pc in diameter, and doppler shifts in its spectrum show that the planetary nebula is 33 km/s. how old is the planetary nebula? 1 pc= 3.1 ×10^13 km and 1 yr= 3.2 × 10^7sarrow_forwardA star's Zero Age Main Sequence (ZAMS) radius R, luminosity L, and effective temperature Teff depend primarily on the star's mass. These parameters do evolve somewhat over time, however, while the star still remains on the main sequence. Discuss in what direction each of these parameters evolves, and explain why this occurs. By physical in your explanation. How did this evolution affect our own solar system, if at all?arrow_forwardDescribe the life cycles of both low mass and high mass stars, understand how their properties change during each evolutionary stage and how their evolution can be represented on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagramarrow_forward
- What processes determine the distribution of physical conditions within star-forming regions, and why does star formation occur in only a small fraction of the available gas?arrow_forwardSuppose that stars were born at random times over the last 1010 years. The rate of star formation is simply the number of stars divided by 1010 years. The fraction of stars with detected extrasolar planets is at least 11 %. The rate of star formation can be multiplied by this fraction to find the rate planet formation. How often (in years) does a planetary system form in our galaxy? Assume the Milky Way contains 3 × 1011 stars.arrow_forwardIf all the stars in a cluster have nearly the same age, why are clusters useful in studying evolutionary effects (different stages in the lives of stars)?arrow_forward
- The 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_forwardIf you could search for life in the galaxy shown in this image, would you look among stars in the disk, in the central bulge, in the halo, or in all of those places? Discuss the factors that influence your decision.arrow_forwardAt 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)arrow_forward
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