Exam 15: Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

Observations of Doppler shifts toward the center of the galaxy show on one side hydrogen clouds are blueshifted while on the other side hydrogen clouds are redshifted.This is the pattern of the rotation velocity of a:

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Question 1

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Where would we find the stars with the richest abundance of massive elements? Where would we find those with the smallest amounts of massive elements? Why?

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Question 2

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Stars with the highest abundance of massive elements are the young stars in the innermost regions of the disk.Stars with the fewest massive elements are the halo stars (such as globular cluster stars).
The reason is that the halo stars formed first when the interstellar medium of the galaxy was the least enriched; the disk stars,particularly in the inner disk where gas is more concentrated,have formed from material that has been (and continues to be)enriched by many generations of star formation.

Explain how a standard candle allows you to determine the distance to an object.What is it that you have to measure or know about the standard candle to derive its distance?

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Question 3

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A standard candle is a star that can be seen at great distances and whose luminosity we know simply by identifying the star (that is,using its period or some other property to recognize it).Its distance is then easily calculated by astronomers by comparing the known luminosity and the measured apparent brightness.

Which of the following statements about the history of the Milky Way is correct?

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Question 4

What is the main observational difficulty in observing the shape of the Milky Way?

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Question 5

If the Large Magellanic Cloud is orbiting the Milky Way in a circular orbit with a speed of 175 km/s and a distance of 165,000 light-years from the center,how long would it take for the Large Magellanic Cloud to complete one orbit around the Milky Way?

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Question 6

Describe the population of globular star clusters in the Milky Way: how many are there,where do they reside in the Milky Way,and how do their ages and chemical abundances compare to the Sun?

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Question 7

Which of the following is closest to the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy?

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Question 8

Describe the basic scenario that describes the formation and evolution of the Milky Way,including a description of how the halo and disk formed.

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Question 9

How do we observe the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy?

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Question 10

Studying standard candles in globular clusters offered the first conclusive proof that our galaxy was much ________ than originally believed.

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Question 11

The discovery of the period-luminosity relationship for variable stars allowed them to be used as standard candles.Who made this important discovery?

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Question 12

Describe the differences between the ages and chemical abundances of globular and open star clusters.

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Question 13

The distance to the center of the Milky Way cannot be measured directly.Which of the following reasons is the best explanation for this fact?

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Question 14

In which part of the Milky Way would you find little or no neutral hydrogen,no current star formation,and stars that are older than 10 billion years?

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Question 15

Which of the following are NOT found in our galaxy's halo?

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Question 16

Astronomers use data about stars near the very center of the Milky Way to argue that there must be a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.Describe the method that is used.

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Question 17

In general,open clusters are found in the of the Milky Way; globular clusters are found in the of the Milky Way.

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Question 18

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

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Question 19

The chemical composition of a star's atmosphere tells us:

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Question 20

Showing 1 - 20 of 53

Observations of Doppler shifts toward the center of the galaxy show on one side hydrogen clouds are blueshifted while on the other side hydrogen clouds are redshifted.This is the pattern of the rotation velocity of a:

Where would we find the stars with the richest abundance of massive elements? Where would we find those with the smallest amounts of massive elements? Why?

Explain how a standard candle allows you to determine the distance to an object.What is it that you have to measure or know about the standard candle to derive its distance?

Which of the following statements about the history of the Milky Way is correct?

What is the main observational difficulty in observing the shape of the Milky Way?

If the Large Magellanic Cloud is orbiting the Milky Way in a circular orbit with a speed of 175 km/s and a distance of 165,000 light-years from the center,how long would it take for the Large Magellanic Cloud to complete one orbit around the Milky Way?

Describe the population of globular star clusters in the Milky Way: how many are there,where do they reside in the Milky Way,and how do their ages and chemical abundances compare to the Sun?

Which of the following is closest to the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy?

Describe the basic scenario that describes the formation and evolution of the Milky Way,including a description of how the halo and disk formed.

How do we observe the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy?

Studying standard candles in globular clusters offered the first conclusive proof that our galaxy was much ________ than originally believed.

The discovery of the period-luminosity relationship for variable stars allowed them to be used as standard candles.Who made this important discovery?

Describe the differences between the ages and chemical abundances of globular and open star clusters.

The distance to the center of the Milky Way cannot be measured directly.Which of the following reasons is the best explanation for this fact?

In which part of the Milky Way would you find little or no neutral hydrogen,no current star formation,and stars that are older than 10 billion years?

Which of the following are NOT found in our galaxy's halo?

Astronomers use data about stars near the very center of the Milky Way to argue that there must be a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.Describe the method that is used.

In general,open clusters are found in the of the Milky Way; globular clusters are found in the of the Milky Way.

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

The chemical composition of a star's atmosphere tells us:

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, earth, and Mars

The Giant Planets

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Our Star: the Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Measuring Galaxies

The Evolution of the Universe

Formation of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 15: Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

Observations of Doppler shifts toward the center of the galaxy show on one side hydrogen clouds are blueshifted while on the other side hydrogen clouds are redshifted.This is the pattern of the rotation velocity of a:

Where would we find the stars with the richest abundance of massive elements? Where would we find those with the smallest amounts of massive elements? Why?

Explain how a standard candle allows you to determine the distance to an object.What is it that you have to measure or know about the standard candle to derive its distance?

Which of the following statements about the history of the Milky Way is correct?

What is the main observational difficulty in observing the shape of the Milky Way?

If the Large Magellanic Cloud is orbiting the Milky Way in a circular orbit with a speed of 175 km/s and a distance of 165,000 light-years from the center,how long would it take for the Large Magellanic Cloud to complete one orbit around the Milky Way?

Describe the population of globular star clusters in the Milky Way: how many are there,where do they reside in the Milky Way,and how do their ages and chemical abundances compare to the Sun?

Which of the following is closest to the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy?

Describe the basic scenario that describes the formation and evolution of the Milky Way,including a description of how the halo and disk formed.

How do we observe the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy?

Studying standard candles in globular clusters offered the first conclusive proof that our galaxy was much ________ than originally believed.

The discovery of the period-luminosity relationship for variable stars allowed them to be used as standard candles.Who made this important discovery?

Describe the differences between the ages and chemical abundances of globular and open star clusters.

The distance to the center of the Milky Way cannot be measured directly.Which of the following reasons is the best explanation for this fact?

In which part of the Milky Way would you find little or no neutral hydrogen,no current star formation,and stars that are older than 10 billion years?

Which of the following are NOT found in our galaxy's halo?

Astronomers use data about stars near the very center of the Milky Way to argue that there must be a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.Describe the method that is used.

In general,open clusters are found in the ________ of the Milky Way; globular clusters are found in the ________ of the Milky Way.

Open star clusters primarily inhabit which part of spiral galaxies?

The chemical composition of a star's atmosphere tells us:

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, earth, and Mars

The Giant Planets

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Our Star: the Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Measuring Galaxies

The Evolution of the Universe

Formation of Structure

Life in the Universe

Filters

In general,open clusters are found in the of the Milky Way; globular clusters are found in the of the Milky Way.