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Foundations of Astronomy

Michael A. Seeds

Chapter 10

The Interstellar Medium - all with Video Answers

Educators


Chapter Questions

02:18

Problem 1

A small nebula has a diameter of 20 seconds of arc and a distance of 1000 pc from Earth. What is the diameter of the nebula in parsecs? In meters?

Guilherme Barros
Guilherme Barros
Numerade Educator
01:41

Problem 2

The dust in a molecular cloud has a temperature of about $50 \mathrm{K}$. At what wavelength does it emit the maximum energy? (Hint: Consider black body radiation, Chapter $7 .$ )

Narayan Hari
Narayan Hari
Numerade Educator
02:41

Problem 3

Extinction dims starlight by about 1.9 magnitudes per 1000 pc. What fraction of photons survives a trip of 1000 pc? (Hint: Consider the definition of the magnitude scale in Chapter $2.)

Nishant Kumar
Nishant Kumar
Numerade Educator
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Problem 4

If the total extinction through a dark nebula is 10 magnitudes, what fraction of photons makes it through the cloud? (Hint: See Problem 3.)

Andrew Eddins
Andrew Eddins
Emory University
02:59

Problem 5

The density of air in a child's balloon $20 \mathrm{cm}$ in diameter is roughly the same as the density of air at sea level, $10^{19}$ particles/cm $^{3}$. To how large a diameter would you have to expand the balloon to make the gas inside the same density as the interstellar medium, about 1 particle/$\mathrm{cm}^{3} ?($ Hint: The volume of a sphere is $\left.\frac{4}{3} \pi R^{3} \cdot\right)$

Supratim Pal
Supratim Pal
Numerade Educator
01:59

Problem 6

If a giant molecular cloud has a diameter of $30 \mathrm{pc}$ and drifts relative to neighboring clouds at $20 \mathrm{km} / \mathrm{s}$, how long will it take to travel its own diameter?

Narayan Hari
Narayan Hari
Numerade Educator
01:57

Problem 7

An HI cloud is 4 pc in diameter and has a density of 100 hydrogen atoms/cm $^{3}$. What is its total mass in kilograms? (Hints: The volume of a sphere is $\frac{4}{3} \pi R^{3}$, and the mass of a hydrogen atom is $1.67 \times$ $10^{-27}$ kg.)

Ma Ednelyn Lim
Ma Ednelyn Lim
Numerade Educator
02:45

Problem 8

Find the mass in kilograms of a giant molecular cloud that is 30 pc in diameter and has a density of 300 hydrogen molecules/cm $^{3}$. (Hint: See Problem $7 .)$

Rikhil Makwana
Rikhil Makwana
Numerade Educator
01:41

Problem 9

At what wavelength does the coronal gas radiate most strongly? (Hint:
Consider black body radiation, Chapter $7.)

Narayan Hari
Narayan Hari
Numerade Educator