Chapter 9

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What is the term for a collection of 105 to 106 old stars in a region 30 to 100 light-years in diameter?

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What is the defining characteristic of stars within a cluster that are at the turnoff point?

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What is the approximate age of the star cluster in the H-R diagram? (Hint: Main sequence stars of spectral types O and B have a core supply of hydrogen that is sufficient to last about 250 million years; types A and F, about 2 billion years; type G about 10 billion years; types K and M about 30 billion years. The apparent magnitude scale means that larger numbers are toward the bottom of the vertical axis.)

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Refer to the H-R diagram. How would the H-R diagram of a more distant star cluster look different?

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Which nuclear fuels does a one solar mass star use over the course of its entire lifespan?

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What is the ultimate fate of our Sun?

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Which of the following is the most important factor that determines a life cycle of a star (for example, why some stars have a short life span)?

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What principle explains why matter flowing from one star in a binary system to its companion forms an accretion disk?

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Suppose you discover a binary star system with a 0.7 solar mass giant star and a 2 solar mass main sequence star. Why is this surprising?

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When material expanding away from a star in a binary system reaches the edge of its Roche lobe, what happens?

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When mass is transferred toward a white dwarf in a binary system, the material forms a rapidly growing whirlpool of material. What is that whirlpool called?

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Under what conditions are Type Ia supernovae believed to occur?

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Which of the following is almost always associated with a nova?

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Why can’t massive stars generate energy through iron fusion?

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If the hypothesis that novae occur in close binary systems is correct, then which of the following should novae do?

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Why is the material that accretes onto a neutron star or black hole expected to emit X-rays?

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What is the term for the form of electromagnetic radiation produced by rapidly moving electrons spiralling through magnetic fields?

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What type of object is the Crab nebula?

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In the year 1054 CE, Chinese astronomers observed the appearance of a new star. What occupies that location now?

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What produces synchrotron radiation?

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Where is synchrotron radiation produced?

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What does the explosion of a type II supernova typically leave behind?

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Which of the following offered support for the theory that the collapse of a massive star’s iron core produces neutrinos?

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If you were to land on a neutron star, how would your mass change compared to your mass on the Earth?

Astronomy

What is the term for a collection of 105 to 106 old stars in a region 30 to 100 light-years in diameter?

What is the defining characteristic of stars within a cluster that are at the turnoff point?

Refer to the H-R diagram. How would the H-R diagram of a more distant star cluster look different?

Which nuclear fuels does a one solar mass star use over the course of its entire lifespan?

What is the ultimate fate of our Sun?

Which of the following is the most important factor that determines a life cycle of a star (for example, why some stars have a short life span)?

What principle explains why matter flowing from one star in a binary system to its companion forms an accretion disk?

Suppose you discover a binary star system with a 0.7 solar mass giant star and a 2 solar mass main sequence star. Why is this surprising?

When material expanding away from a star in a binary system reaches the edge of its Roche lobe, what happens?

When mass is transferred toward a white dwarf in a binary system, the material forms a rapidly growing whirlpool of material. What is that whirlpool called?

Under what conditions are Type Ia supernovae believed to occur?

Which of the following is almost always associated with a nova?

Why can’t massive stars generate energy through iron fusion?

If the hypothesis that novae occur in close binary systems is correct, then which of the following should novae do?

Why is the material that accretes onto a neutron star or black hole expected to emit X-rays?

What is the term for the form of electromagnetic radiation produced by rapidly moving electrons spiralling through magnetic fields?

What type of object is the Crab nebula?

In the year 1054 CE, Chinese astronomers observed the appearance of a new star. What occupies that location now?

What produces synchrotron radiation?