Universe: Stars And Galaxies
6th Edition
ISBN: 9781319115098
Author: Roger Freedman, Robert Geller, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 22, Problem 37Q
To determine
The evidence for the presence of supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
The way, it is possible to determine the mass of the black hole.
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Supermassive black holes are thought to exist in the centers of some galaxies. What would be the Schwarzschild radii of black holes of 1 million and 1 billion solar masses? How does the first black hole compare in size with the Sun? How does the second compare in size with the solar system?
What is the orbital period (in s) of a bit of matter in an accretion disk that is located 6 ✕ 105 km from a 99 M black hole?
Hint:
Use the circular orbit velocity formula,
Vc =
GM
r
.
s
The supermassive black hole at the center of the NGC 4261 galaxy is thought to have a mass of 1 billion suns.
Calculate its Schwarzschild radius and compare it with the size of our solar system.
Chapter 22 Solutions
Universe: Stars And Galaxies
Ch. 22 - Prob. 1QCh. 22 - Prob. 2QCh. 22 - Prob. 3QCh. 22 - Prob. 4QCh. 22 - Prob. 5QCh. 22 - Prob. 6QCh. 22 - Prob. 7QCh. 22 - Prob. 8QCh. 22 - Prob. 9QCh. 22 - Prob. 10Q
Ch. 22 - Prob. 11QCh. 22 - Prob. 12QCh. 22 - Prob. 13QCh. 22 - Prob. 14QCh. 22 - Prob. 15QCh. 22 - Prob. 16QCh. 22 - Prob. 17QCh. 22 - Prob. 18QCh. 22 - Prob. 19QCh. 22 - Prob. 20QCh. 22 - Prob. 21QCh. 22 - Prob. 22QCh. 22 - Prob. 23QCh. 22 - Prob. 24QCh. 22 - Prob. 25QCh. 22 - Prob. 26QCh. 22 - Prob. 27QCh. 22 - Prob. 28QCh. 22 - Prob. 29QCh. 22 - Prob. 30QCh. 22 - Prob. 31QCh. 22 - Prob. 32QCh. 22 - Prob. 33QCh. 22 - Prob. 34QCh. 22 - Prob. 35QCh. 22 - Prob. 36QCh. 22 - Prob. 37QCh. 22 - Prob. 38QCh. 22 - Prob. 39QCh. 22 - Prob. 40QCh. 22 - Prob. 41QCh. 22 - Prob. 42QCh. 22 - Prob. 43QCh. 22 - Prob. 44QCh. 22 - Prob. 45QCh. 22 - Prob. 46QCh. 22 - Prob. 47QCh. 22 - Prob. 48QCh. 22 - Prob. 49QCh. 22 - Prob. 50Q
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- Describe the evidence indicating that a black hole may be at the center of our Galaxy.arrow_forwardThe best evidence for a black hole at the center of the Galaxy also comes from the application of Kepler’s third law. Suppose a star at a distance of 20 light-hours from the center of the Galaxy has an orbital speed of 6200 km/s. How much mass must be located inside its orbit?arrow_forwardOnce again in this chapter, we see the use of Kepler’s third law to estimate the mass of supermassive black holes. In the case of NGC 4261, this chapter supplied the result of the calculation of the mass of the black hole in NGC 4261. In order to get this answer, astronomers had to measure the velocity of particles in the ring of dust and gas that surrounds the black hole. How high were these velocities? Turn Kepler’s third law around and use the information given in this chapter about the galaxy NGC 4261-the mass of the black hole at its center and the diameter of the surrounding ring of dust and gas-to calculate how long it would take a dust particle in the ring to complete a single orbit around the black hole. Assume that the only force acting on the dust particle is the gravitational force exerted by the black hole. Calculate the velocity of the dust particle in km/s.arrow_forward
- Since the force of gravity a significant distance away from the event horizon of a black hole is the same as that of an ordinary object of the same mass, Kepler’s third law is valid. Suppose that Earth collapsed to the size of a golf ball. What would be the period of revolution of the Moon, orbiting at its current distance of 400,000 km? Use Kepler’s third law to calculate the period of revolution of a spacecraft orbiting at a distance of 6000 km.arrow_forwardWhat characteristics must a binary star have to be a good candidate for a black hole? Why is each of these characteristics important?arrow_forwardUse the result from Exercise 24.21 to calculate the radius of a black hole with a mass equal to: the Earth, a B0-type main-sequence star, a globular cluster, and the Milky Way Galaxy. Look elsewhere in this text and the appendixes for tables that provide data on the mass of these four objects.arrow_forward
- A black hole is an object with mass, but no spatial extent. It truly is a particle. A black hole may form from a dead star. Such a black hole has a mass several times the mass of the Sun. Imagine a black hole whose mass is ten times the mass of the Sun. a. Would you expect the period of an object orbiting the black hole with a semimajor axis of 1 AU to have a period greater than, less than, or equal to 1 yr? Explain your reasoning. b. Use Equation 7.6 to calculate this period.arrow_forwardWhat evidence has been found that suggests a black hole at the center of our galaxy?arrow_forwardObservations of the central region of the galaxy M87 indicate that stars which are 60 light years from the centre are orbiting the central supermassive black hole at speeds of 730 kms‑1. Estimate the mass of the black hole, in solar masses. (You can assume circular motion.arrow_forward
- What are the only things we can tell about the nature of the material within a black hole?arrow_forwardUse the Schwarzchild formulaRs =2GM / c2whereRs = Radius of the star, in meters, that would cause it to become a black holeM = Mass of the star, in kilogramsG = A constant, called the gravitational constant= 6.7 x 10-11 m3 / kg . s2c = Speed of light= 3x108 meters per secondto determine to what length the radius of the Sun must be reduced for it to become a black hole. The Sun’s mass is approximately 2 x 1030 kilograms.arrow_forwardA black hole (m = 2.90 x 10^9 Ms) sits in the middle of the M87 galaxy. Calculate its gravitational field intensity at a distance of three times its Schwarzschild radius.1 Ms = 1.99 x 10^30 kgarrow_forward
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