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Astronomy And Space Science > Solar System Formation, Sun, Stars Properties > Flashcards

Solar System Formation, Sun, Stars Properties Flashcards

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1
Q

Explain the nebular hypothesis.

A
  1. A diffuse, roughly spherical, slowly rotating nebula begins to contract.
  2. A flat, rapidly rotating disk forms. The matter concentrated at the center becomes the protosun.
  3. Protosun clears to snow line and large planets form from collisions between dust particles. Jovian planets form much closer than they are today and migrate outward.
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2
Q

What angular momentum rule can be applied to the solar system?

A

The SUM of the angular momentums of ALL the objects that form the Solar System must be equal to the angular momentum of the cloud that formed it.

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3
Q

T or F. The composition of the Sun and the Solar System is strong evidence that it comes from a region here other stars have died.

A

True.

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4
Q

What does the snow line explain?

A

Why some planets are bigger than others. No large icy material within snow line.

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5
Q

T or F. Jovian planet migration can explain the formation of the Asteroid belt.

A

False.

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6
Q

Total Length of solar system including Oort Cloud.

A

100,000 A.U.

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7
Q

List the 7 layers of the sun in order from the centre.

A

Core
Radiation Zone
Convection Zone
Photosphere
Chromosphere
Transition Zone
Corona

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8
Q

How long does it take energy created at the centre of the Sun to reach the surface?

A

170,000 years

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9
Q

Explain proton-proton chain.

A

2 hydrogen nuclei combine to form 2H nuclei
2H nuclei combines with hydrogen nuclei to form He3
2 He3’s combine to form He4 and 2 hydrogen nuclei

Summary
4 protons = 1 Helium + energy

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10
Q

List properties of photosphere.

A
  • very low density
  • all visible light from here
  • temperature decreases moving upward.
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11
Q

Why does the photosphere appear dark around edges?

A

Limb darkening - when looking at the edge we cannot see as deep into the photosphere as at the centre, shallower means cooler.

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12
Q

How is granulation caused? Typical size of granules / supergranules.

A

By convection of the gas in the photosphere.

granules 1000km
supergranules 35000km

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13
Q

List properties of chromosphere.

A

Mostly transparent except using Ha filters.
Not as dense as photosphere
Spicules jets of gas that surge into Sun’s outer atmosphere.

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14
Q

What causes spicules?

A

Very hot gas confined by magnetic fields.

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15
Q

What is the transition region?

A

Very narrow region where the temperature rises abruptly.

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16
Q

What is corona?

A

Outermost region of Sun’s atmosphere extending several million kilometres with high temperature. But low brightness because of low density.

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17
Q

What does it mean to say the sun is active?

A

Dramatic features such as eruptions can occur.

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18
Q

What is solar wind?

A

hot gas moving at really high speeds capable of escaping the Sun’s gravitational attraction. Responsible for aurorae.

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19
Q

What are sunspots?

A

Irregularly shaped dark regions in the photosphere. They seem darker because their temperature is lower. Penumbra is outer region, umbra is inner region.

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20
Q

T or F. The sun rotates uniformly at all latitudes.

A

False.

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21
Q

T or F. The number of sunspots is constant on the surface of the sun.

A

False.

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22
Q

The cycle for NUMBER of sunspots varying is how long?

A

11 years

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23
Q

Why do sunspots occur?

A

Because of differential rotation, a field line that starts running from the Sun’s north magnetic pole to its south ends up wrapped around the Sun. Sunspots are produced where concentrated magnetic field rises through the photosphere. Every 11 years the North and South magnetic poles are reversed so sunspots are produced by a 22-year cycle.

24
Q

What are plages?

A

Bright hot regions in the chromosphere that form before sunspots.

25
Q

What are filaments?

A

Relatively cool and dense parts of chromosphere that have been pulled along the magnetic field lines as they arch to high altitudes.

26
Q

What are prominences?

A

Filaments seen from the side against the dark background of space.

27
Q

What are solar flares?

A

Solar flares are violent, eruptive events caused by the magnetic reconnection.

28
Q

What are CME’s?

A

Coronal Mass Ejections are extreme eruptive events, much more powerful than solar flares.

29
Q

T or F. The photons we see from the Sun were produced at the photosphere.

A

False.

All photons produced at core.

30
Q

If the sun ejects mass towards us how long do we have to react.

A

A few days.

31
Q

What is observed flux?

A

Apparent brightness, is the amount of energy that passes each second through a square metre of the sphere’s surface area that surrounds a star.

32
Q

Formula for observed flux.

A

F obs = L / 4 * pi * d^2

33
Q

What is the luminosity?

A

The luminosity is a measure of the star’s total light output and does not change with distance.

34
Q

What is photometry?

A

Is the method used in astronomy to measure the apparent brightness of a star.

35
Q

Explain parallax method. Give formula.

A

As the Earth rotates around the sun, the same star can appear to be in different locations. By measuring the angle of parallax we can get the distance which is 1 / angle.

p = 1 / d
p is parallax in arcseconds
d is distance in parsecs

36
Q

What is apparent magnitude? Give formula.

A

Is a measure of a star’s apparent brightness as seen from Earth.

m2 - m1 = 2.5log(F1 / F2)

37
Q

What is absolute magnitude? Formula for relationship between apparent magnitude (m) and absolute magnitude (M).

A

Corresponds to the apparent magnitude that a star would be at a distance of 10 parsec from Earth.

m - M = 5logd-5

38
Q

Explain photometry method.

A

By comparing the magnitudes obtained using different filters we can measure the colour of a star, hence the surface temperature

39
Q

Acronym for remembering classification.

A

Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me

40
Q

Which classification of star has highest surface temperature?

A

O

41
Q

What is the y-axis and x-axis on the HR diagram? Where is mass?

A

y-axis: Increasing luminosity, absolute magnitude
x-axis: Decreasing surface temperature, spectral type

Diagonals going from left top to right bottom.

42
Q

What does HR in HR diagram stand for?

A

Hertzsprung-Russel

43
Q

Which has higher surface temperature an O1 or an O9 star?

A

O1

lower numbers hotter

44
Q

Name three things that occur when a solar nebula contracts.

A

It heats up
It flattens out
It spins faster

45
Q

What does a difference of one magnitude correspond to in terms of brightness?

A

2.5 times brightness difference.

46
Q

How many parsecs per light year?

A

0.3066 parsecs/light-year

47
Q

What percentage of the Sun is helium? Is hydrogen?

A

27%
71%

48
Q

What might have made the original solar nebula begin to contract?

A

The shock wave from a nearby exploding star

49
Q

When the chromosphere can be seen during a solar eclipse, it appears what colour?

A

Red

50
Q

What is needed to find the radius of a star?

A

apparent brightness, parallax and surface temperature.

d = 1 / p
L = 4 * pi * apparent brightness * d^2
L = 4 * pi * R^2 * sigma * T^4

51
Q

Which objects in the solar system have been least modified since the formation of the solar system?

A

kuiper belt objects

52
Q

According to the standard model of the Sun, how does temperature change as density decreases.

A

Temperature decreases but not as fast as density.

53
Q

Star A has an absolute magnitude of 2.5 and star B has an apparent magnitude of 2.5, but star A is a main sequence star and star B is a red giant. Which is brighter?

A

Impossible to determine.

54
Q

Suppose a large flare is detected optically. How long until radio interference arrives?

A

Simultaneously

55
Q

If star A has an apparent magnitude of 5 and Star B has an apparent magnitude of 7 which appears brighter?

A

Star A. Inverse scale lower is better.

56
Q

What factor caused different planets to form out of different types of material?

A

The variation in temperature throughout the solar nebula; the higher the temperature, the lower the percentage of light elements in the forming planet.

57
Q

From the spectral type can we find the luminosity.

A

Yes

Astronomy And Space Science (8 decks)

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