Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781305960961
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 9, Problem 3P
To determine
The wavelength at dust does emit maximum energy.
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If the hottest star in the Carina Nebula has a surface temperature of 51,000 K, at what wavelength (in nm) does it radiate the most energy?
Hint: Use Wien's law:
?max =
2.90 ✕ 106 nm · K
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.
-The wavelength calculated above is longer than 91.2 nm. Photons at this calculated wavelength will have more than enough energy to ionize hydrogen.
-The wavelength calculated above is shorter than 91.2 nm. Photons at this calculated wavelength will not have enough energy to ionize hydrogen.
-The wavelength calculated above is longer than 91.2 nm. Photons at this calculated wavelength will not have enough energy to ionize hydrogen.
(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?
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.
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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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
- 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_forwardWhere does interstellar dust come from? How does it form?arrow_forward
- The 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_forwardWould you expect to be able to detect an H II region in X-ray emission? Why or why not? (Hint: You might apply Wien’s law)arrow_forwardHow 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_forward
- Describe the characteristics of the various kinds of interstellar gas (HII regions, neutral hydrogen clouds, ultra-hot gas clouds, and molecular clouds).arrow_forwardA) A typical dust grain has a radius of about 0.1 micrometers and a mass of 10-14 grams. Roughly how many dust particles are in a cloud containing 1000 Msun of dusty gas if 1% of the cloud's mass is in the form of dust grains? B) What surface area would be covered by these grains if you put them side by side? Assume these grains are spherical. Answer in square light-years. C) Estimate the total surface area covered by the cloud assuming it's matter density is like that of a typical molecular cloud, about 10-21 g/cm3 (Hint: first calculate the clouds volume from it's mass and density, then determine its radius using the formula for volume of a sphere) Answer in square light-years. D) Comparing all above answers, What are the chances (very roughly) that a photon passing through the cloud will hit a dust grain?arrow_forwardWhat factors resist the contraction of a cloud of interstellar matter?arrow_forward
- How are giant molecular clouds (GMCs), the loci of most star formation, themselves formed out of diffuse interstellar gas? 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? How is the rate at which stars form determined by the properties of the natal GMC or, on a larger scale, of the interstellar medium (ISM) in a galaxy? What determines the mass distribution of forming stars, the initial mass function (IMF)? Most stars form in clusters (Lada & Lada 2003); how do stars form in such a dense environment and in the presence of enormous radiative and mechanical feedback from other YSOs?arrow_forwardExplain why the sky is blue and how that relates to reflection nebulae.arrow_forwardThe water molecules now in your body were once part of a molecular cloud. Only about onemillionth of the mass of a molecular cloud is in the form of water molecules, and the mass density of such a cloud is roughly 1.5x10-21 g/cm? (questions in picture)arrow_forward
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