Universe
11th Edition
ISBN: 9781319039448
Author: Robert Geller, Roger Freedman, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Question
Chapter 16, Problem 11Q
(a)
To determine
An estimate for the amount of hydrogen (in kilograms) consumed by the Sun over the past 4.56 billion years. Also, find the amount of the Sun’s mass which is lost as a result of this. Consider that the luminosity of the Sun remains constant.
(b)
To determine
Whether the result obtained in the previous subpart is an overestimate or an underestimate, considering that when the formation of the Sun occurred, its luminosity was about 70% of its present value.
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b) Suppose the Sun's main energy source was due to gravitational collapse and assume
that the Sun has maintained a constant luminosity for the past 6000 years. What
value of fractional decrease in its radius, dR/R, would have been required to account
for the Sun's constant luminosity?
Suppose the Sun’s main energy source was due to gravitational collapse and assume that the Sun has maintained a constant luminosity for the past 6000 years. What value of fractional decrease in its radius, dR/R, would have been required to account for the Sun’s constant luminosity?
a) At solar maximum sunspots might cover up to 0.4% of the total area of the Sun. If the sunspots have a temperature of 3800 K and the surrounding photosphere has a temperature of 6000 K, calculate the fractional change (as a percentage) in the luminosity due to the presence of the sunspots.
b) A star of the same stellar class as the Sun is observed regularly over many years, and a time series of its bolometric apparent magnitude is collected. What would be the signal in this time series which indicated that the star had a magnetic dynamo similar to the Sun? Briefly describe two or three possible sources of other signals which could confuse the interpretation of the data.
Chapter 16 Solutions
Universe
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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
- Let's examine how we know that the Sun cannot power itself by chemical reactions. Using the fact that an average chemical reaction between two atoms releases 1.6×10-19 J of energy, estimate how long the Sun could emit energy at its current luminosity. Compare that estimate to the known age of Earth.arrow_forward1 Solar constant, Sun, and the 10 pc distance! The luminosity of Sun is + 4- 1026 W - 4- 1033ergs-1, The Sun is located at a distance of m from the Earth. The Earth receives a radiant flux (above its atmosphere) of F = 1365W m- 2, also known as the solar constant. What would have been the Solar contact if the Sun was at a distance of 10 pc ? 1AU 1 1.5-+ 1011arrow_forwardThe Sun’s luminosity (or power) is 4 x 1026 Watts (=J/s). How many kilograms of hydrogen must be fused every second to maintain this luminosity? (hint: work backwards from the energy per second to the mass released to the amount of hydrogen required, using the results from the previous question.) The Sun’s mass is ~2x1030 kg. If 10% of this is Hydrogen available in the core, how long will the Sun be able to continue fusing hydrogen at this rate? This is considered the Sun's "lifetime". If the Sun is 4.6 billion years old (and assuming it's power output is constant), how many years does it have left?arrow_forward
- Using solar units, we find that a star has 4 times the luminosity of the Sun, a mass 1.25 times the mass of the Sun, and a surface temperature of 4090 K (take the Sun's surface temperature to be 5784 K for the sake of this problem). This means the star has a radius of.................... solar radii and is a .................... star (use the classification).arrow_forwardHow would the interior temperature of the Sun be different if the strong force that binds nuclei together were 10 times as strong?arrow_forwardJupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun by 8.7 x10-10 LO. Jupiter's radius is 7.1 x109 cm and its mass is 1.9 ×1030 g. Compute its dynamical and thermal timescales. (b) Can we assume that Jupiter is in hydrostatic equilibrium? (c) Could gravitational contraction have powered Jupiter's luminosity for its entire 4.5 Gyr lifetime? (d) Use conservation of energy to estimate the rate at which Jupiter's radius is shrinking to power this radiation. You may ignore the factor of order unity that arises from Jupiter's unknown density distribution.arrow_forward
- Let's calculate how much mass will be lost by the Sun during the course of its main-sequence lifetime. While it is on the main sequence, a star converts about 10% of the hydrogen initially present into helium (remember that it is only the core of the star that is hot enough for fusion). During nuclear fusion, the Sun converts about 0.7% of the core hydrogen mass into energy. The total mass of the Sun is 2 × 1030 kg. How many kilograms of mass will be converted to energy during the main sequence stage of the Sun's life? What is the ratio of this lost mass to the Earth's mass (6 × 1024 kg)? In other words, how many Earths of mass will be turned into energy?arrow_forwardAssuming that (1) the solar luminosity has been constant since the Sun formed, and (2) the Sun was initially of uniform composition throughout, as described by Table 9.2, estimate how long it would take the Sun to convert all of its original hydrogen into helium. [Hint: Calculate the mass of hydrogen in the sun and then divide it by the rate of hydrogen fusion (PPT slide 47.)]arrow_forward(1) the solar luminosity has been constant since the Sun formed, and (2) the Sun was initially of uniform composition throughout, estimate how long it would take the Sun to convert all of its original hydrogen into helium. [Hint: Calculate the mass of hydrogen in the sun and then divide it by the rate of hydrogen fusion.arrow_forward
- From the information in Figure 15.21, estimate the speed with which the particles in the CME in parts (c) and (d) are moving away from the Sun. Figure 15.21 Flare and Coronal Mass Ejection. This sequence of four images shows the evolution over time of a giant eruption on the Sun. (a) The event began at the location of a sunspot group, and (b) a flare is seen in far-ultraviolet light. (c) Fourteen hours later, a CME is seen blasting out into space. (d) Three hours later, this CME has expanded to form a giant cloud of particles escaping from the Sun and is beginning the journey out into the solar system. The white circle in (c) and (d) shows the diameter of the solar photosphere. The larger dark area shows where light from the Sun has been blocked out by a specially designed instrument to make it possible to see the faint emission from the corona. (credit a, b, c, d: modification of work by SOHO/EIT, SOHO/LASCO, SOHO/MDI (ESA & NASA))arrow_forwardAppendix J lists the stars that appear brightest in our sky. Are most of these hotter or cooler than the Sun? Can you suggest a reason for the difference between this answer and the answer to the previous question? (Hint: Look at the luminosities.) Is there any tendency for a correlation between temperature and luminosity? Are there exceptions to the correlation?arrow_forwardWhat is the average density of the Sun? How does it compare to the average density of Earth?arrow_forward
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