Term
| 2.What is the difference between proper motion and radial velocity of a star? |
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Definition
Proper motion is motion back and forth on the sky.
Radial velocity is motion along our line of sight to the star. |
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Term
| 3. How does Kepler find planets, and what two properties of the planet determine its detectability for Kepler? |
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Definition
-Kepler uses photometry and makes a light curve.
-Size of STAR and distance from star |
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Term
| 7. The extrasolar planets that have been discovered are mainly on elliptical orbits, whereas the planets in our Solar System are on circular orbits. Explain why there might be a difference. |
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Definition
-exoplanets are located very close to their stars
-this proximity causes them to interact with other planets, collisions can cause more elliptical orbits as well as ejections |
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Term
| 8. Explain the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. |
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Definition
| -the more you know where an object is located the less you know its momentum, and the more you know about its momentum the less you know where it is |
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Term
| 10. Explain the main reasons why we think that quasars are black holes. |
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Definition
| -there is extreme energy output from the interactions at high density as materials try to squeeze through the black hole singularity |
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Term
| 17. Why do rapid variations in the brightness of quasars imply that they have to be small? |
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Definition
-an object cannot vary faster than it takes light to travel across it.
-the light from the center of the quasars varies little from the left or right side |
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Term
| 1. Overview the details of Jupiter beginning to migrate inwards, including possible causes and effects. Describe the final state of our Solar System in this case. |
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Definition
| causes- gravitational shit;interaction with nearby star; interaction with large nearby planet |
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Term
| 4. Where is most of the light coming from in a black hole and why? |
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Definition
| the accretion disk, because of the multitude of high density interactions between particles. |
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Term
| 5. Why were there more quasars in the past? |
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Definition
-Because galaxies were closer together and therefore more galaxy mergers could occur
-When galaxies formed there was more gas to be eaten by quasars |
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Term
| 6. Name the two observations that Einstein used to help prove his theory of General Relativity. Explain the details of both studies and the scientific explanations. |
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Definition
- The bending of starlight by the sun; we can see a stars light when it's behind the sun
- the positioning of mercury; has different orbit because when it approaches the sun it shoots it into another orbit |
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Term
| 9. Describe the importance of some of the expected discoveries from the Large Hadronic Collider (LHC). |
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Definition
the LHC smashes protons at high speeds to recreate conditions a second before the big bang. This helps us understand the fundemental structure of the universe.
Discoveries: dark matter, dark energy, HIGGS particle, antimatter. |
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Term
| 11. How do proper motions of stars near the galactic center allow us to measure the black hole mass? |
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Definition
-we observe the and measure the velocity “wobble” of the stars
-two ways to measure a black hole is through the rotation curve and the velocity dispersion profile. |
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Term
| 12. What is the fundamental reason why the chair you sit on stops you from falling right through? |
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Definition
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Term
| 13. Explain what holds up a normal star, white dwarf, and neutron star. What is the fundamental difference between these? |
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Definition
-White dwarf- electron degeneracy pressure
-Neutron star- Neutron degeneracy pressure
-Normal star- Nuclear force |
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Term
| 14. State what the equivalence principle is and some of its implications. |
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Definition
"in any small region of space-time, the effects of a gravitational field are indistinguishable from those of an appropriate acceleration of the frame of reference."
This means that if you are in a box and a force is pushing you from the outside, there is no way of knowing if you are in orbit/ falling from the sky/or if a rocket is pushing you into space. |
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Term
| 15. Overview all of the reason for why extrasolar planets may be more numerous around stars with high metal content. |
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Definition
| High metal content in stars indicates high metal content in nebula meaning more material to form planets |
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Term
| 16. Overview how a black hole could lose mass. |
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Definition
| One consequence of this is called Hawking radiation. If a pair of virtual particles comes into existence near (but outside) a black hole. There is a possibility that one of them may fall into the event horizon before finding its mate. If this happens, the mate may just wonder off forever. Thus, it appears that the black hole radiated a particle from it |
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Term
| 18. Why does material fall into the center when two galaxies merge? |
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Definition
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Term
| 19. Gamma-ray bursts release about the same energy as a supernova yet they are about 1000 times brighter. What is the reason for this difference? |
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Definition
Supernovas explode outward in all directions.
GRBs concentrate their explosions in two jets |
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Term
| 20. GRBs are distributed isotropically on the sky, but the light coming from a GRB is not distributed isotropically. Explain what each of these statments mean and the implications. |
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Definition
GRBs occur all around the galaxy
however light comes from only 2 distinct points or jets of the GRB |
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Term
| 21. Explain at least 2 scientific reasons why the Large Hadronic Collider will NOT create a black hole that will destroy the Earth. |
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Definition
Cosmic rays bombard our atmosphere and collide particles all the time
the black holes are too small and will evaporate quickly due to hawkings radiation |
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