Zusammenfassung der Ressource
P7 3
- Fusion
- Step 1
- Hydrogen + hydrogen -> deutirium + positron + Gamma ray
- Step 3
- Helium-3 + Helium-3 -> Helium-4 + hydrogen + hydrogen
- Step 2
- Deutirium + hydrogen -> Helium-3 (unstable) + gamma ray
- Overview
- This releases a huge amount of energy using einsteins theory
- Stars
- Fusion only happens in the middle of the sun where it is hot enough
- Outside layer of sun is only a few thousand degrees
- Outer layer is called the photosphere
- Main sequence stars only fuse hydrogens to heliums
- A star will eventually run out of hydrogen fuel
- Star Lifecycle
- Red giant
- When MS star runs out of hydrogen fuel fusion in the core will slow
- As a result the core will be cooler and there will be less outwards pressure
- The outer layers will fall inwards towards the core because of gravity
- The surface will be cooler and as a result will be red
- As the outer layers are pulled against the core, the core gets hotter
- As a result new fusion reactions are possible and the star will start fusing heliums
- From fusing heliums the star can fuse heavier elements like nitrogen oxygen and carbon
- Our sun will only be able to fuse up to carbon - due to its size
- Due to the high pressures from fusing heliums (which releases more energy) it will expand and get huge
- Larger stars
- Larger stars will form red supergiants when they run out of fuel
- Because they get so big the core can get hotter and can fuse elements beyond carbon
- Iron is the most stable element in the universe - a supergiant cannot fuse iron
- No more fusion in red supergiants is possible after iron
- Supernovae
- In a red supergiant the core starts getting filled with iron
- Then the star cannot fuse anything anymore
- When the fusion stops the outer layer collapses in, it hits the
iron core and bounces off and there is a huge explosion
- This explosion is a supernova and has the capability to block off a galaxy from view for weeks
- In supernovas there is enough energy to make elements heavier than iron
- Everything heavier than iron is made by supernovae
- Our star has traces of heavier elements so that means it is made from leftovers of other stars
- Neutron stars
- The center core of a star can survive a supernova
- If the mass is smaller than 2.5x the size of our sun it will become a neutron star
- A neutron star consists nearly entirely of neutrons compressed together in a size of just 30km
- Black holes
- A larger collapsed core will have more gravity
- So it has so much gravity it can pull in light
- So it is a black hole
- White dwarfs
- A small star will eventually build up a core of oxygen and carbon
- After the outer layers are lost the core forms a white dwarf
- Comparing stars
- We don't see different types of stars just stars in different stages of their life
- 90% of stars fall in the main sequence area
- The sun is in the middle of the diagram
- Gas Laws and Kelvin
- Gases are made of particles widely spaced apart
- They move in random directions
- If a gas is trapped in a container the particles will collide with the walls and exert a small force - this is pressure
- Pressure is measured in N/m2 or Pascals (Pa)
- 1Pa is very small
- 1 earth atmosphere = 101,225 Pa
- Laws
- Boyles law - pressure is inversely proportional to volume (constant temperature) - Pressure x Volume = constant
- Charles Law - volume is directly proportional to temperature (constant pressure) - Volume/temperature = constant
- Pressure law - pressure is directly proportional to temperature (constant volume) - pressure / temperature = constant
- Temperature for these laws needs to be converted to Kelvin
- Kelvin
- An ideal gas is a gas that will reach -273 C without changing its state
- No smaller pressure than 0 and no smaller volume than 0
- If you back the LOBF of 2 graphs that show relationship of pressure and temperature and volume and temperature - pressure or volume reaches absolute zero at -273 C
- To make the graphs directly proportional they invented a new unit - Kelvin
- 0K = -273 C
- 1 unit of degrees is equal to one unit of Kelvin
- Kelvin = Celcius + 273
- Celcius = Kelvin - 273
- Our sun is 6000 C or 5727 K
- How astronomers work
- Ground based observatory
- On surface of earth
- Can only observe frequencies of radiation that are allowed through the atmosphere
- Optical telescopes are housed within a dome to protect it from weather
- Astronomical factors
- Light pollution - all street lights etc - light gets scattered up in the atmosphere making it
difficult to see light from the outside of the atmosphere
- Scintillation - twinkling of stars - earths atmosphere is not completely uniform - as light goes
through dense parts of the atmosphere it diffracts - to avoid this you need an observatory at
a high altitude where the atmosphere is thinnest
- Atmospheric conditions - clouds, air pollution and high water vapour
- Finding a suitable location
- One with minimal light pollution, high altitude, large percentage of clear nights per year
- Examples
- Chile
- Hawai
- Australia
- Canary islands
- Other factors
- Cost
- Environmental and social impact
- Working conditions (altitude sickness)
- Space telescopes
- Can make distant observations of astronomical objects
- No interferance from earths atmosphere
- Can see frequencies of radiation that is blocked by the atmosphere
- Dont have to put up with rain, water vapour and light pollution
- Very expensive to put them in space and very expensive to send a maintenence team
- International Cooperation
- Unpredicable may be conflict between countries
- 1 Collaberation between experts from different nations can make breakthroughs
- 2. The nations can share the financial cost
- 3. Possible to share facilities and information
- 4. Cultural exchanges on a scientific and personal level
- Eg Hubble was built by NASA and had contributions from ESA and is operated by STSI
- Astronomers work
- Spend a lot of time in offices
- Analysing data
- Creating computer programs to search through and analyse data
- Writing research papers and going to meetings
- They usually have to make a proposal to carry out an observation
- They have a set time period to use the equipment - as some objects can only be seen at certain times in certain places
- Some will accept applications from anyone, some will have criteria
- Approved observation
- Then get your time at the telescope
- Then the data is sent by internet to office or by radio waves if it is in space
- Controlling telescopes
- Large telescopes are controlled by computers
- Advantages
- Much more precise and accurate
- Due to the rotation of the earth, objects appear to move, computers can precisely track them
- Dont have to be at the observatory to control it
- Other life
- Estimated 100,000,000,000 other stars in milky way
- Many of these stars have planets
- Other planets are called exo-planets
- Our telescopes are so good we can detect a dip in radiation from from the sun which is a planet in orbit passing by
- Planets have a small gravity pull on their sun, so the sun wobbles a bit - our telescopes can detect those wobbles
- When a planet goes past a sun we can see the tiny area where the planets atmosphere lies and we can look at the absorbtion spectra to see if it contains oxygen
- SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial life)
- They havent found anything, no evidence so far