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Astronomy > Chapter 14 > Flashcards

Chapter 14 Flashcards

1
Q

What is Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction?

A

It’s a process in which an object’s temperature increases due to the compression of its interior gases

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2
Q

What were the two processes proposed to be the source of the Sun’s energy?

A
  1. Chemical Reaction

2. Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction

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3
Q

What is the source of the Sun’s energy?

A

Thermonuclear fusion reactions

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4
Q

How does a thermonuclear fusion reaction occur?

A

Hydrogen nuclei fuse together to form helium nuclei

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5
Q

What does Einstein’s mass-energy equation govern?

A

The amount of energy that is produced during the nuclear fusion reactions

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6
Q

What’s Einstein’s mass-energy equation?

A

E = mc^2

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7
Q

What does “mc” in e=mc^2 stand for?

A

Missing mass x the speed of light

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8
Q

What type of process will convert mass into energy?

A

Thermonuclear fusion reaction

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9
Q

Why was Einstein’s mass-energy relation used to explain the energy source of the Sun?

A

It is the only one that can account for the amount of energy that the Sun produces and the duration the Sun has been this way

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10
Q

What are the conditions that need to be satisfied in order to have thermonuclear reactions?

A
  1. High temperature

2. High pressure

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11
Q

What is another name for hydrogen nuclei?

A

Protons

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12
Q

Why does there need to be a high temperature in order to have thermonuclear reactions?

A

The higher temperature makes protons move faster, which means that when they run into each other they are going to fuse instead of repeal

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13
Q

What are two other names for thermonuclear hydrogen fusion reactions?

A

Proton-proton chain and hydrogen burning

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14
Q

What is the difference between nuclear reactions and chemical reactions?

A

Chemical reactions only affect electrons while nuclear reactions affect the nucleus and change its identity

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15
Q

What is fission?

A

It’s when you split heavier elements into lighter elements

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16
Q

What is the method that nuclear reactors utilize in order to generate energy?

A

Fission

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17
Q

What is the disadvantage of fission?

A

It produces a large amount of radioactive nuclear waste

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18
Q

What is fusion?

A

It’s when you combine lighter elements to produce heavier elements

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19
Q

What is considered the purest form of energy?

A

Fusion

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20
Q

True or False:

Fusion produce nuclear waste

A

False

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21
Q

What is the main product of the thermonuclear fusion inside the Sun?

A

Helium nucleus

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22
Q

What are the by-products of the thermonuclear fusion inside the Sun?

A

Neutrinos and gamma radiation

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23
Q

What are neutrinos?

A

They are subatomic particles that have no charge and very little mass

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24
Q

True or False:

Detecting neutrinos is very difficult

A

True

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25
Q

Since neutrinos are charge-less, what does that mean when it comes to their interactions?

A

It means that they don’t interact

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26
Q

Explain hydrostatic equilibrium.

A

It’s the balancing of inward forces and outward forces

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27
Q

What is the inward and outward force of hydrostatic equilibrium?

A

The inward force is gravity and the outward force is gas pressure

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28
Q

Why isn’t our sun expanding or contracting?

A

The sun’s gravity is balancing the inward and outward forces

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29
Q

Explain thermal equilibrium.

A

The temperature at each layer doesn’t change with time

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30
Q

In thermal equilibrium, if a layer receives more energy than it gives will its temperature increase or decrease??

A

It will increase

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31
Q

In thermal equilibrium, if a layer gives more energy than it receives will its temperature increase or decrease??

A

It will decrease

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32
Q

Do the outer layers or the inner layers of the sun have more gravity compression?

A

The inner layers

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33
Q

What are the mechanisms by which heat can be transported inside the Sun?

A

Radiation and convection

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34
Q

Explain the radiation mechanism

A

It is when light travels like a wave and transfers energy

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35
Q

True or False:

Radiation needs a medium

A

False

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36
Q

Explain the convection mechanism

A

It is when hot gases or liquids rise and cold gases or liquids fall

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37
Q

What does the convection mechanism set up?

A

Convection currents

38
Q

Why doesn’t the conduction mechanism apply to the sun?

A

It only applies to solids

conduction and solid both have a d

39
Q

How many distinctive regions does the sun’s interior have? List them

A
  1. Core
  2. Radiative zone
  3. Convection zone
40
Q

Where do thermonuclear fusion reactions take place in the sun?

A

The core

41
Q

Describe the core

A
  1. It’s very hot, it has a high density, and it has a lot of pressure
42
Q

What carries energy from the core into the radiative zone?

A

Photons

43
Q

Why does light have a tough time traveling through the radiative zone?

A

The solar material in this region is very dense

44
Q

How long does it take light to travel through the radiative zone?

A

170,000 years

45
Q

What is the mechanism by which energy is transported through the convection zone?

A

Convection

46
Q

True or False:

In the convection zone hot gas goes up and cooler gas comes down

A

True

47
Q

In the convection zone what transports energy to the surface of the sun?

A

Gas

48
Q

In the convection zone what does gas transport to the surface of the sun?

A

Energy/heat

49
Q

How do we get the experimental evidence for the solar interior?

A

Helioseismology

50
Q

What does helioseismology measure?

A

The vibrations of the sun as a whole

51
Q

What does the study of helioseismology clearly show?

A

That there are distinctive regions in the sun

52
Q

Why is the detection of neutrinos important?

A

It gives us direct evidence for thermonuclear fusion reactions

53
Q

What are neutrino telescopes?

A

It is a big underground tank that is filled with pure distilled water. The tank’s wall is covered with cameras that are used to detect feeble light that is produced in the tank.

54
Q

Why are neutrino telescopes built underground?

A

To shield from interferences from other radiations

55
Q

List the three layers of the Sun’s atmosphere

A
  1. Photosphere
  2. Chromosphere
  3. Corona
56
Q

What is the surface of the sun that we see?

A

Photosphere

57
Q

As you go up in altitude in the photosphere, what happens to the temperature?

A

It decreases

58
Q

Which type of spectrum does photosphere have?

A

Absorption spectrum

59
Q

True or False:

Chromosphere has a lower density than photosphere

A

True

60
Q

As you go up in the altitude in the chromosphere, what happens to the temperature?

A

It increases

61
Q

What color does the light that is emitted by the chromosphere appear to be?

A

Red

62
Q

True or False:

You can see the light emitted by the chromosphere on a daily basis

A

False

63
Q

When can you see the light that is emitted by the chromosphere?

A

During a total solar eclipse

64
Q

What is the outer most region in the sun’s atmosphere?

A

Corona

65
Q

As you go up in the altitude in the corona, what happens to the temperature?

A

It increases

66
Q

True or False:

You can see the light emitted by the corona on a daily basis

A

False

67
Q

Why does the temperature increase with altitude in the corona and the chromosphere?

A

They both have an intense magnetic field and sound waves

68
Q

What is granulation?

A

It is a blotchy pattern that can be seen on the sun’s surface with a telescope

69
Q

What causes granulation?

A

Convection of gases in the region under the sun’s surface

70
Q

What is direct evidence that convection is happening in the convection zone?

A

Granulation

71
Q

What are spicules?

A

They are streams of gases that are pulled upward

72
Q

What is solar wind?

A

It’s the gas from the corona that gets ejected into space

73
Q

How is solar wind produced?

A

Since the corona has extremely high temperatures it causes some of the materials to have high speeds

74
Q

What causes the northern and southern lights?

A

When solar winds are emitted towards earth some of the charged particles will snap our magnetic field. They would then stream towards the earth and interact with our atmosphere. This interaction causes the northern and southern lights.

75
Q

What are sunspots?

A

They are irregularly shaped dark regions in the photosphere

76
Q

Why do sunspots appear dark?

A

They are cooler than surrounding regions

77
Q

What causes sunspots?

A

The sun’s magnetic field

78
Q

How often does the sun rotate?

A

Once every 4 weeks

79
Q

Who was the first to study sunspots?

A

Galileo

80
Q

What is differential rotation?

A

The difference between the equilateral and polar region rotational speeds

81
Q

What is the sunspot cycle?

A

It’s the time interval from sunspot maximum to sunspot minimum back to a maximum

82
Q

What are solar prominences?

A

They are the loops of glowing gas pushed up around sunspots

83
Q

What are solar flares?

A

They are brief eruptions of intense high-energy radiation from the sun’s surface

84
Q

What do coronal mass ejections do?

A

They blast a billion tons of hot coronal gas into space

85
Q

Why do we need to keep a close eye on the violent activities on the Sun?

A

It can pose health threat to astronomers in the orbit, interfere with satellites, disrupt electronics and communications equipment, cause power outage, and cause wild fires

86
Q

What causes Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction?

A

Gravitational contraction

87
Q

What do thermonuclear fusion reactions convert mass into?

A

Energy

88
Q

What is used to explain the energy source of the Sun?

A

Einstein’s mass-energy relation

89
Q

How long is a sunspot cycle?

A

11 years

90
Q

What does CME stand for?

A

Coronial Mass Ejections

Astronomy (10 decks)

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