21st Century Astronomy
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780393428063
Author: Kay
Publisher: NORTON
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Chapter 15, Problem 25QP
To determine
The role of giant molecular cloud in star formation.
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If the stars at the turnoff point of a cluster have a mass of 3 M, what is the age of the cluster?
a.
3.0 × 1010 years
b.
3.3 × 109 years
c.
6.4 × 108 years
d.
1.6 × 1011 years
e.
The age of a star cluster cannot be determined from the mass of stars at the turnoff point.
If you want to find a sizeable collection of Population Il stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, where
would be a good place to look?
A. near the Sun
B. in a globular cluster high above the Galaxy's disk
C. in the Orion Spur
D.on the outer surface of giant molecular clouds
E. in an open cluster, especially one with a lot of dust in and around it
All massive main sequence stars reside in clouds of glowing gas. The four powerful stars in the center of the Orion Nebula are good examples. Lower mass stars like the Sun generally don't have clouds of gas around them. a. Why do powerful stars reside in gas clouds? b. What is making the gas glow exactly? For the last question, refer to the surface temperature of these stars, and to Wien's Law.
Chapter 15 Solutions
21st Century Astronomy
Ch. 15.1 - Prob. 15.1CYUCh. 15.2 - Prob. 15.2CYUCh. 15.3 - Prob. 15.3CYUCh. 15.4 - Prob. 15.4CYUCh. 15 - Prob. 1QPCh. 15 - Prob. 2QPCh. 15 - Prob. 3QPCh. 15 - Prob. 4QPCh. 15 - Prob. 5QPCh. 15 - Prob. 6QP
Ch. 15 - Prob. 7QPCh. 15 - Prob. 8QPCh. 15 - Prob. 9QPCh. 15 - Prob. 10QPCh. 15 - Prob. 11QPCh. 15 - Prob. 12QPCh. 15 - Prob. 13QPCh. 15 - Prob. 14QPCh. 15 - Prob. 15QPCh. 15 - Prob. 16QPCh. 15 - Prob. 17QPCh. 15 - Prob. 18QPCh. 15 - Prob. 19QPCh. 15 - Prob. 20QPCh. 15 - Prob. 21QPCh. 15 - Prob. 22QPCh. 15 - Prob. 23QPCh. 15 - Prob. 24QPCh. 15 - Prob. 25QPCh. 15 - Prob. 26QPCh. 15 - Prob. 27QPCh. 15 - Prob. 28QPCh. 15 - Prob. 29QPCh. 15 - Prob. 30QPCh. 15 - Prob. 31QPCh. 15 - Prob. 32QPCh. 15 - Prob. 33QPCh. 15 - Prob. 35QPCh. 15 - Prob. 36QPCh. 15 - Prob. 37QPCh. 15 - Prob. 38QPCh. 15 - Prob. 39QPCh. 15 - Prob. 40QPCh. 15 - Prob. 41QPCh. 15 - Prob. 42QPCh. 15 - Prob. 43QPCh. 15 - Prob. 44QPCh. 15 - Prob. 45QP
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- Astronomers studying regions like the Orion Giant Molecular Cloud have observed that a wave of star formation can move through them over many millions of years. What sustains such a wave of star formation in a giant molecular cloud? A. radio waves from complex molecules move slowly through the cloud, causing stars to form B. when a group of stars form, they remove so much material from the cloud that only a big empty place is left, into which new matter from other clouds falls, making more stars C. when giant molecular clouds collide with each other, they do so not just once, but many times D. the dust in these clouds is so heavy, it is always settling inward toward the cloud's center causing star formation in its wakearrow_forwardBased on what you know about main-sequence stars, select all of the correct statements from the following list. 1. Since the interiors of stars cannot be observed, there are no theories about their structure. 2. More massive stars are hotter and brighter. 3. The weight of a star must be balanced by internal pressure. 4. More massive stars live longer; they take longer to use up all their energy. 5. Stars change position on the main sequence throughout their lives. 6. Outward energy flow in a star is by conduction only.arrow_forwardWhich of the following types of data provide evidence that helps us understand the various stages of the life tracks of low-mass stars? A. H-R diagrams of open clusters B. spacecraft observations of the Sun C. observing a low-mass star over many years D. H-R diagrams of globular clustersarrow_forward
- The chemical abundance of population I stars a. indicates that they were formed before the population II stars. b. indicates that the material they formed from had been enriched with material from supernovae. c. indicates that they contain very few heavy metals compared to halo stars. d. depends on the temperature of the star. e. depends on the mass of the star.arrow_forwardStars have the greatest metal content in which region of the Milky Way Galaxy? a. in the galactic halo b. in the nuclear bulge c. in the disk d. in the core e. in the spherical componentarrow_forwardPlace the following events in the formation of stars in the proper chronological sequence, with the oldest first and the youngest last. w. the gas and dust in the nebula flatten to a disk shape due to gravity and a steadily increasing rate of angular rotation x. a star emerges when the mass is great enough and the temperature is high enough to trigger thermonuclear fusion in the core y. the rotation of the nebular cloud increases as gas and dust concentrates by gravity within the growing protostar in the center z. some force, perhaps from a nearby supernova, imparts a rotation to a nebular cloud y, then z, then w, then x z, then y, then w, then x w, then y, then z, then x z, then x, then w, then y x, then z, then y, then w MacBook Air on .H. O O O Oarrow_forward
- Globular clusters contain no stars more massive than the Sun. Which of the following seems like the least reasonable implication of this observation? Group of answer choices Globular clusters are very old. Globular clusters are very young. Only the low-mass stars are still "alive" in the clusters. Many red giants can probably be found in globular clusters. The very massive stars in the globular clusters have already burnt out.arrow_forwardWhich of the following statements is wrong? A. A main-sequence star is cooler and brighter than it was as a protostar. B. Carbon fusion occurs in high-mass stars but not in low-mass stars because the cores of low-mass stars never contain significant amounts of carbon. C. when a main-sequence star exhausts its core hydrogen fuel supply, the core shrinks while the rest of the star expands. D. After a supernova explosion, the remains of the stellar core will be either a neutron star or a black hole.arrow_forwardHow 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_forward
- Hotter, more massive stars are virtually absent from globular clusters. What does this tell us? a) Only that for some reason, massive stars never formed in these clusters. b) Globular clusters are among the youngest objects in our galaxy. c) Globular clusters are among the oldest objects in the Galaxy.arrow_forwardMatch each statement with the appropriate item (if the first corresponds to B and the next 4 to C, enter BCCCC) 1) group of stars that was formed all at the same time, with the same composition 2) the top of the main sequence of a cluster; more massive stars in the cluster have already evolved 3) globular clusters stars that are burning helium in their core 4) young, spread out star cluster 5) old, dense star cluster A. main sequence turnoff B. open cluster C. star cluster D. horizontal branch stars E. globular clusterarrow_forwardBased on what you know about the interactions between stars and other interstellar media, select all of the correct statements from the following list. -Coronal gas is ejected from supernova explosions. -Clouds of neutral hydrogen have masses of hundreds of solar masses. -The intercloud medium is cool.Much interstellar dust comes from stellar atmospheres. -Molecular clouds are where stars are born. -Molecular clouds are of very low density; ultraviolet photons permeate the cloud to break up all molecules.arrow_forward
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