The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134874364
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 21, Problem 43EAP
To determine
The evidence of widespread star formation the Large Magellanic Cloud.
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How are giant molecular clouds (GMCs), the loci of most star formation, themselves formed out of diffuse interstellar gas?
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As we discussed, clouds are made of a great many small drops. Really - a great many. Imagine a
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stars in the galaxy.
B. What mass of water does the cloud contain? Compare this to something big - elephants,
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power
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 21 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
Ch. 21 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 21 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 21 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 21 - Prob. 4VSCCh. 21 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 2EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 3EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 4EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 6EAP
Ch. 21 - Prob. 7EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 9EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 10EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 11EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 12EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 13EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 14EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 15EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 17EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 23EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 24EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 25EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 26EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 27EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 28EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 29EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 30EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 32EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 34EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 36EAPCh. 21 - Life Story of a Spiral. Imagine that you are a...Ch. 21 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 41EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 42EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 43EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 45EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 46EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 47EAPCh. 21 - A Nearby Starburst. The galaxy M82, shown in...Ch. 21 - Prob. 49EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 50EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 51EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 52EAPCh. 21 - Prob. 53EAP
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- Consider 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_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_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_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_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_forwardHotter, 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_forward
- The traditional theory of the formation of our galaxy CANNOT explain a. the existence of the disk of the galaxy. b. the fact that the oldest stars in the galaxy are not metal free. c. the spherical distribution of the globular clusters. d. the difference in metal abundance of the population I and II stars. e. the existence of the nuclear bulge.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_forwardWhy are we unlikely to find Earth-like planets around halo stars in the Galaxy? A. Halo stars formed in a different way from disk stars. B. Planets around stars are known to be extremely rare. C. Halo stars formed in an environment where there were few heavy elements to create rocky planets. D. Halo stars do not have enough mass to hold onto planets. Is the answer C? Since halo stars are formed early when the galaxy consisted of mainly hydrogen and helium, there are no heavier elements available to create Earth-like planets so just halo stars are formed? Thanks!arrow_forward
- 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.arrow_forwardAstronomers 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_forwardHalo population stars have I. circular orbits in the plane of the galaxy. II. randomly tipped, elliptical orbits. III. old stars with low metal content. IV. young stars with heavy metal content. a. I and II b. I and III c. II and III d. II and IV e. I and IVarrow_forward
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