Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 28, Problem 17E
Human civilization is about 10,000 years old as measured by the development of agriculture. If your telescope collects starlight tonight that has been traveling for 10,000 years, is that star inside or outside our Milky Way Galaxy? Is it likely that the star has changed much during that time?
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Suppose that stars were born at random times over the last 1010 years. The rate of star formation is simply the number of stars divided by 1010 years. The fraction of stars with detected extrasolar planets is at least 11 %. The rate of star formation can be multiplied by this fraction to find the rate planet formation. How often (in years) does a planetary system form in our galaxy? Assume the Milky Way contains 3 × 1011 stars.
The disk of the Milky Way galaxy contains roughly 200 billion (1 billion = 109 ) stars. The disk is not solid, but rather is a volume about 100,000 light-years in diameter (1 ly = 9500 billion kilometers) and 1000 light-years in thickness. What is the number density of stars in the Milky Way galaxy disk, in units of stars per cubic light-year? How about in units of stars per cubic km?
Suppose that stars were born at random times over the last 10e10 years. The rate ofstar formation is simply the number of stars divided by 10e10 years. The fraction ofstars with detected extrasolar planets is at least 9 %. The rate of star formation can bemultiplied by this fraction to find the rate planet formation. How often (in years) doesa planetary system form in our galaxy? Assume the Milky Way contains 7 × 10e11 stars.
I've done this problem 3 different times from scratch and looked at similar problems here. Each time my answer is 1.587 (1.59 rounded to 2 significant figures), but when I submit, it says the answer is wrong. What do you think?
Chapter 28 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 28 - How are distant (young) galaxies different from...Ch. 28 - What is the evidence that star formation began...Ch. 28 - Describe the evolution of an elliptical galaxy....Ch. 28 - Explain what we mean when we call the universe...Ch. 28 - Describe the organization of galaxies into...Ch. 28 - What is the evidence that a large fraction of the...Ch. 28 - When astronomers make maps of the structure of the...Ch. 28 - How does the presence of an active galactic...Ch. 28 - Describe how you might use the color of a galaxy...Ch. 28 - Suppose a galaxy formed stars for a few million...
Ch. 28 - Given the ideas presented here about how galaxies...Ch. 28 - Can an elliptical galaxy evolve into a spiral?...Ch. 28 - If we see a double image of a quasar produced by a...Ch. 28 - The left panel of Figure 27.1 shows a cluster of...Ch. 28 - Suppose you are standing in the center of a large,...Ch. 28 - Astronomers have been making maps by observing a...Ch. 28 - Human civilization is about 10,000 years old as...Ch. 28 - Given that only about 5% of the galaxies visible...Ch. 28 - Using the information from Example 28.1, how much...Ch. 28 - Using the information from Example 28.1, if...Ch. 28 - Using the information from Example 28.1, how much...Ch. 28 - Galaxies are found in the “walls” of huge voids;...Ch. 28 - Calculate the velocity, the distance, and the...Ch. 28 - Assume that dark matter is uniformly distributed...Ch. 28 - The simulated box of galaxy filaments and...Ch. 28 - The first objects to collapse gravitationally...
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