Essay Questions for Astronomy Final – Flashcards

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