Essay Questions for Astronomy Final – Flashcards
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Explain the colors of emission nebulae.
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emission from ionized hydrogen, and emission from other atoms
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Why does a reflection nebula look blue?
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light of nearby stars
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A typical protostar may be several thousand times more luminous than our Sun; where does this g energy come from?
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From the release of gravitational energy
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What are thought to be some possible causes of triggering the contraction of an interstellar cloud?
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supernova, type O and B Stars, parts of the cold cloud
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Why does gravitational contraction halt in collapsing protostars?
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radiation pressure stabilizes the collapsing protostar
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Jupiter and the Sun have almost the same composition and density; why isn't Jupiter also a star?
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Jupiter does not have enough mass
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Contrast the appearance of the H-R diagrams of a young open and old globular cluster.
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In a young cluster, the main sequence is well defined, particularly to the top left, red giants now populate the top right portion of the diagram.
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How does the interstellar gas change the light of stars passing through it, even if no dust is also present?
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thin atoms of gas will absorb some wavelengths of light,
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How does the mass of the protostar impact its future evolution?
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The higher the mass, the greater its gravit
