P16 - Space Flashcards
What do stars intially form from?
Clouds of dust and gas
Starts initially form from clouds of dust and gas. What is this cloud called?
A Nebula
After a nebula forms how does the formation of a star continue?
The force of gravity pulls the nebula together to form a Protostar
What is the next process of a formarion of a star after the formation of a protostar?
Temperature rises as star gets denser and more particles collide
Explain the formation of a star (6marks)
A cloud of dust and gas form called a nebula.
The force of gravity pulls the nebula together to form a protostar.
The temp rises as the star gets denser.
They collide and become hot enought that hydrogen nuclei undergo nuclear fusion and turn into helium nuclei.
This releases alot of energy and a star is born
What is a main sequence star?
When a star enters a long stable period. Where the outward pressure caused by the nuclear fusion, balances the force of gravity pulling everything inwards
What happens after several billion years of a main sequence star period?
The hydrogen begins to run out which makes the star swell. This turns it into a Red Giant
What happens when a Red Giant eventually becomes unstable?
It expels its outer layers of dust and gas
which leaves behind a hot and dense core called a white dwarf
Why is a white dwarf called a white dwarf?
Its small and gives off lots of light
How does a white dwarf transition into a black dwarf?
Overtime, it emits all its energy so gets cooler and darker
When theres not enough energy to emit light it appears black
When a red giant explodes after ongoing nuclear fusion, we call this _________
A supernova
What can a main sequence star transition into after billions of years?
A red giant if it was a small/medium star
Or a super giant if it was absolutely massive
What does a supernova do?
It forms elements even heavier than iron and ejects them throughout the universe
What happens after a supernova from an absolutely massive star?
If it was absolutely massive it could collapse in on itself and become a black hole
What happens after a supernova from a big star?
it would condense into a dense core called neutron star
Why do we call black holes, black holes?
They are so dense that there gravity can pull any light that passes.
This makes them appear as empty space
Explain the simple life cycle of stars in order
Whats a satellites?
Anything that orbits a planet
What are the two types of satellites?
Natural satellites
Artificial satellites
Name three celestial bodies that make up our solar system?
Comets
Asteroids
Moons
What are asteroids made from?
mostly of rock and metal
Where are asteroids found?
Mainly in the asteroid belt
Where is the asteroid belt?
Between mars and jupiter
What are comets made from?
Mostly of ice and dust
Where are comets found?
The very outskirts of the solar system
What is a galaxy?
Massive collections of stars that have their own solar systems
What is the definition of an orbit?
The curved path of one celestial object or spacecraft around another celestial object
What does the Sun orbit?
The Milky Way
Since the ________ of the moon changes, this must mean the ________ is increasing and so its _______ as well.
Direction
Velocity
Accelerating
If an objects orbit is small, what happens to its speed?
The smaller an objects orbit is, the faster that object must be travelling in order to maintain a stable orbit
What is Red shift?
When light from distant galaxies look more red than expected
Why does light from distant galaxies look my red than expected?
Those galaxies are moving away from us
As they move away, the wavelengths of light stretch, making light appear redder
What does Red shift tell us?
The universe is expanding
The further away a galaxy is, the faster its moving away
How are galaxies moving away from us?
The space between us and Galaxies is expanding
What is the limitation of using a balloon with markers to represent the universe expanding?
The balloon will eventually burst where as the universe wont
Their should be galaxies inside the balloon rather than on its surface only
What is the Big Bang Theory?
All the matter in the universe was kept in a really tiny space that extremely dense and hot
It exploded and expands til this day
