Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781305960961
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Textbook Question
Chapter 9, Problem 2RQ
Why evidence can you cite that the interstellar medium contains both gas and dust?
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What evidence can you cite that the interstellar medium contains both gas and dust? (Select all that apply.)
(1)The dust of the interstellar medium can be detected from the emission lines of elements heavier than iron.
(2)The dust of the interstellar medium can be detected by the extinction of light from distant stars.
(3)The dust of the interstellar medium can be detected by the scattering of blue light from distant or embedded objects.
(4)The gas of the interstellar medium can be detected from the radiation of ultraviolet photons.
(5)The gas of the interstellar medium can be detected from the radiation of photons of wavelength 21 cm.
(6)The gas of the interstellar medium can be detected from the absorption lines present in the light from distant stars, which must be caused by a medium of a density and temperature other than that of the stars emitting the light.
What factors resist the contraction of a cloud of interstellar matter?
(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?
Chapter 9 Solutions
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 9 - Prob. 1RQCh. 9 - Why evidence can you cite that the interstellar...Ch. 9 - Prob. 3RQCh. 9 - Prob. 4RQCh. 9 - Prob. 5RQCh. 9 - Prob. 6RQCh. 9 - Prob. 7RQCh. 9 - Prob. 8RQCh. 9 - Prob. 9RQCh. 9 - Prob. 10RQ
Ch. 9 - Prob. 11RQCh. 9 - Prob. 12RQCh. 9 - How does the CNO cycle differ from the...Ch. 9 - Prob. 14RQCh. 9 - Step-by-step, explain how energy flows from the...Ch. 9 - Prob. 16RQCh. 9 - Prob. 17RQCh. 9 - Prob. 18RQCh. 9 - Prob. 19RQCh. 9 - Prob. 20RQCh. 9 - Prob. 1DQCh. 9 - What is your favorite home-cooked meal? In terms...Ch. 9 - Prob. 3DQCh. 9 - How does hydrostatic equilibrium relate to hot-air...Ch. 9 - Prob. 1PCh. 9 - Prob. 2PCh. 9 - Prob. 3PCh. 9 - Prob. 4PCh. 9 - Prob. 5PCh. 9 - Prob. 6PCh. 9 - Prob. 7PCh. 9 - Prob. 8PCh. 9 - Prob. 9PCh. 9 - Prob. 10PCh. 9 - If a protostellar disk is 200 AU in radius and the...Ch. 9 - Prob. 12PCh. 9 - Prob. 13PCh. 9 - Prob. 14PCh. 9 - H much energy is produced when the CNO cycle...Ch. 9 - Prob. 16PCh. 9 - Prob. 1LTLCh. 9 - Prob. 2LTL
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- Prepare a table listing the different ways in which dust and gas can be detected in interstellar space.arrow_forwardThe mass of the interstellar medium is determined by a balance between sources (which add mass) and sinks (which remove it). Make a table listing the major sources and sinks, and briefly explain each one.arrow_forwardWhere does interstellar dust come from? How does it form?arrow_forward
- Consider a grain of sand that contains 1 mg of oxygen (a typical amount for a medium-sized sand grain, since sand is mostly SiO2). How many oxygen atoms does the grain contain? What is the radius of the sphere you would have to spread them out over if you wanted them to have the same density as the interstellar medium, about 1 atom per cm3? You can look up the mass of an oxygen atom.arrow_forwardA molecular cloud is about 1000 times denser than the average of the interstellar medium. Let’s compare this difference in densities to something more familiar. Air has a density of about 1 kg/m3, so something 1000 times denser than air would have a density of about 1000 kg/m3. How does this compare to the typical density of water? Of granite? (You can find figures for these densities on the internet.) Is the density difference between a molecular cloud and the interstellar medium larger or smaller than the density difference between air and water or granite?arrow_forwardSuppose that you gathered a ball of interstellar gas that was equal to the size of Earth (a radius of about 6000 km). If this gas has a density of 1 hydrogen atom per cm3, typical of the interstellar medium, how would its mass compare to the mass of a bowling ball (5 or 6 kg)? How about if it had the typical density of the Local Bubble, about 0.01 atoms per cm3? The volume of a sphere is V=(4/3)R3 .arrow_forward
- What temperature would interstellar dust have to have to radiate most strongly at 100 micro meter?arrow_forwardA typical dense core of an interstellar gas cloud has a diameter of 0.2 pc and a mass of 2 solar masses. What is the average density (in kg/m3) of this cloud core? kg/m3 Could this cloud core float on water (?w = 1,000 kg/m3)? -Yes -Noarrow_forwardDescribe the characteristics of the various kinds of interstellar gas (HII regions, neutral hydrogen clouds, ultra-hot gas clouds, and molecular clouds).arrow_forward
- How would the density inside a cold cloud (T=10K) compare with the density of the ultra-hot interstellar gas (T=106K) if they were in pressure equilibrium? (It takes a large cloud to be able to shield its interior from heating so that it can be at such a low temperature.) (Hint: In pressure equilibrium, the two regions must have nT equal, where n is the number of particles per unit volume and T is the temperature.) Which region do you think is more suitable for the creation of new stars? Why?arrow_forwardDescribe how the 21-cm line of hydrogen is formed. Why is this line such an important tool for understanding the interstellar medium?arrow_forwardConsider the following five kinds of objects: open cluster, giant molecular cloud, globular cluster, group of O and B stars, and planetary nebulae. A. Which occur only in spiral arms? B. Which occur only in the parts of the Galaxy other than the spiral arms? C. Which are thought to be very young? D. Which are thought to be very old? E. Which have the hottest stars?arrow_forward
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