Exam 2 Flashcards
What is the general result of the proton-proton chain?
4H -> He + energy + other products
The corona of the sun:
is visible during a solar eclipse
In the convective zone of the sun:
columns of hot gas rise, cool, and descend
What part of the sun do we typically see?
Photosphere
In nuclear fusion, energy is produced because…
the mass of the reacting chemicals is larger than that of the products
When using different points in the earths orbit as a baseline for a parallax experiment, it is best to do the observations:
6 months apart
One star is 4 times farther away than another, the parallax angle of the more distant star is
four times smaller than that of the nearest star
Put your thumb at arms length in front of your face. Focus on something in the background and look through one eye at a time. What do you notice about your thumb?
It appears to move more when it’s closer
Star A is 4 times as luminous as star B. Star A is 2 times as far away as star B. which star appears brighter and by how much?
the same: brightness = luminosity/ distance^2
An “onion“ skin burning shell, with elements up to iron being produced, develops in:
A star much more massive than the sun
What is at the center of a planetary nebula?
Both the core of the dying star and something that will eventually become a white dwarf
How do solar-sized and smaller stars die? About how large are their remnants?
They become white dwarfs, about the size of Earth
What does NOT happen when an object approaches a black hole?
It quickly gets sucked in even from a large distance
How can we measure the mass of a black hole?
measure the speed of the orbit of a star in a binary system with the black hole
What is the main requirement for a habitable zone?
Liquid water
A star that is twice the mass of our sun would have a habitable zone that:
Includes Mars but not the Earth
A star that is 3/4 the mass of our sun would have a habitable zone that:
Includes Venus only
What factor is not in the Drake Equation?
Communication lag due to large distances between stars
What does the Drake Equation estimate?
The number of technological civilizations in the Milky Way
If a red giant appears the same brightness as a red main sequence star, which one is farther away?
The Red Giant
The heaviest nuclei of all are formed…
during a supernova explosion
Hydrogen-2 + Proton = ??? + Energy
Helium-3
What are the differences between open star clusters and globular star clusters?
Open clusters are less concentrated, younger, and have fewer stars
Which of the following is false? A) A supernova is an explosion of a high mass star at the end of its life; B) a nova can be caused by a white dwarf gaining material from a nearby companion star C) a type 1a supernova is caused by addition of hydrogen- rich material onto a white dwarf D) a light echo is caused by light from an exploding star that’s gradually reaches different layers of gas around the star E) a nova is more luminous than a supernova
E
What kind of gas cloud can collapse and form stars?
The gas cloud must have a mass that exceeds the Jeans mass so that gravity overcomes the internal pressure in the cloud
What is the mass of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way?
4 million solar masses