The Cosmic Perspective
7th Edition
ISBN: 9780321839558
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
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Textbook Question
Chapter 1, Problem 23EAP
Which of the following correctly lists our ‘cosmic address” from small to large? (a) Earth, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe (b) Earth, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way Galaxy, universe (c) Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe
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Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
For the graph shown above, a) what quantity would you label the y-axis with if the distance is between galaxies and the Earth? Explain your answer. Think through what we know is happening, motion-wise, out there in the galaxy. b) Also explain why you think there are dots and a solid line, on the graph.
Astronomers frequently say that "there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the
beaches on the earth". Given that a typical grain of sand is about 0.5 – 1.0 mm in diameter, estimate the
number of grains of sand on all the earth's beaches. The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km.
a) About 1011
b) About 1016
c) About 1021.
6.
Assume that a typical galaxy contains about 200 billion stars and that there are more than 150 billion
galaxies in the known universe. Estimate the total number of stars in the universe.
b) About 1022
a) About 1010
c) About 1016.
7.
Compare the values of the number of grains of sand in all earth's beaches (from problem 5) with the
number of stars in the universe (from problem 6) – which is greater?
a) Number of sand grains
b) number of stars
c) they are about the same.
Estimating the mass of the Milky Way
a) Assuming the Sun moves in a circular orbit of radius 8 kiloparsecs around the center of the Milky Way, and that its orbital speed
is 220 km/s, calculate how many years it takes the Sun to complete one orbit of the Galaxy. Remember to convert kiloparsecs to
kilometers.
b) Using the modified form of Kepler's third law (introduced in Lecture 13, for measuring the combined masses of binary stars),
R³
m+ M = estimate the mass of the Milky Way enclosed within 8 kpc (Sun's orbit radius). The mass of the Milky Way inside
p²
I
the Sun's orbit can be represented as a single mass (M) located at its center, and the mass of the Sun (m) can be considered
infinitesimally small compared to the Milky Way's (i.e., m < M).
c) Is this estimate of the Milky Way's mass an upper or lower limit? Explain your reasoning.
Chapter 1 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective
Ch. 1 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 2VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 3VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 4VSCCh. 1 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 1 - Define astronomical unit and light-year.Ch. 1 - Explain the statement “The farther away we look in...Ch. 1 - Prob. 4EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 5EAPCh. 1 - What do we mean when we say that the universe is...
Ch. 1 - In what sense are we “star stuff”?Ch. 1 - Use the cosmic calendar to describe how the human...Ch. 1 - Briefly explain Earth’s daily rotation and annual...Ch. 1 - Briefly describe our solar system’s location and...Ch. 1 - Prob. 11EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 12EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 13EAPCh. 1 - Does it Make Sense? Decide whether the statement...Ch. 1 - Prob. 15EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 16EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 17EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 18EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 19EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 20EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 21EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 22EAPCh. 1 - Which of the following correctly lists our ‘cosmic...Ch. 1 - An astronomical unit is (a) any planet’s average...Ch. 1 - The star Betelgeuse is about 600 light-years away....Ch. 1 - Prob. 26EAPCh. 1 - The total number of stars in the observable...Ch. 1 - Prob. 28EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 29EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 30EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 31EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 32EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 33EAPCh. 1 - Thinking About Scale. One key to success in...Ch. 1 - Prob. 35EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 36EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 37EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 38EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 39EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 41EAPCh. 1 - Spacecraft Communication. We use radio waves,...Ch. 1 - Prob. 43EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 45EAPCh. 1 - Driving Trips. Imagine that you could drive your...Ch. 1 - Faster Trip. Suppose you wanted to reach Alpha...Ch. 1 - Prob. 48EAPCh. 1 - Earth Rotation Speed. Mathematical Insight 1.3...Ch. 1 - Prob. 50EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 51EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 52EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 53EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 54EAPCh. 1 - Prob. 55EAP
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Your friends are talking about Olber's Paradox: Friend 1: When the universe was quite young, it was also quite small, and therefore light was trapped inside the universe. This is why we don't see light from the edge of the universe in every direction. Friend 2: No, Olber's Paradox describes only light from stars, not from galaxies, and why you can't use light from distant stars to see at night. Friend 3: You're both right and you're both wrong. The paradox concerns itself with the expansion of the universe, and explains why light from the early universe was able to be released. Are any of them right, in part or in whole?arrow_forwardHow long ago was that galaxy right next door to our own Galaxy if it has always been receding at its present rate? Express your answer in years. Since the universe began when all galaxies were very close together, this number is a rough estimate for the age of the universe.arrow_forwardmathematician Archimedes, responding to a claim that the number of grains of sand was infinite, calculated that the number of grains of sand needed to fill the universe was on the order of 1063. Our understanding of the size of the universe has changed since then, and we now know that the observable universe alone is a sphere with a radius of 1026 m. Estimating the size of a grain of sand, A) Approximately how many grains of sand would fill the observable universe? B) How many times larger or smaller is this number than Archimedes' result?arrow_forward
- Indicate whether the following statements are most true for elliptical or spiral galaxies. (Select S-Spiral, E-Elliptical. If the first is S and the rest E, enter SEEEEE). A) Are more bluish in color. B) Has no current star formation. C) Most numerous type in the Universe. D) Contain abundant clouds of cool gas and dust. E) Are rare in the central regions of galaxy clusters. F) Contain no hot, massive stars. G) Most are roughly similar in size and mass.arrow_forwardIn which type of model universe is space-time infinite in extent and positively curved? List all possibilities.arrow_forwardThe dwarf galaxy in Sagittarius is the one closest to the Milky Way, yet it was discovered only in 1994. Can you think of a reason it was not discovered earlier? (Hint: Think about what else is in its constellation.)arrow_forward
- In which type of model universe is space-time infinite in extent and open? List all possibilities.arrow_forwardConstruct a timeline for the universe and indicate when various significant events occurred, from the beginning of the expansion to the formation of the Sun to the appearance of humans on Earth.arrow_forwardBased on your analysis of galaxies in Table 26.1, is there a correlation between the population of stars and the quantity of gas or dust? Explain why this might be.arrow_forward
- Suppose the Milky Way was a band of light extending only halfway around the sky (that is, in a semicircle). What, then, would you conclude about the Sun’s location in the Galaxy? Give your reasoning.arrow_forwardWhat does it mean to say that the universe is expanding? What is expanding? For example, is your astronomy classroom expanding? Is the solar system? Why or why not?arrow_forwardWhat evidence shows that the Universe is expanding? What evidence shows that the Universe began with a Big Bang?arrow_forward
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