Weighing a Black Hole
... black hole's gravitational pull) – astronomers can deduce the mass of the object at the galactic center! This is exactly how Hyde Park native Andrea Ghez and her team at UCLA discovered the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This group of astronomers observed the motions of stars in a region ...
... black hole's gravitational pull) – astronomers can deduce the mass of the object at the galactic center! This is exactly how Hyde Park native Andrea Ghez and her team at UCLA discovered the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This group of astronomers observed the motions of stars in a region ...
File
... Example: The first star to be measured this way was a star in the constellation of Cygnus. The angular difference was found to be 0.292 arcseconds. This gives a distance of 3.48 pc, or 11.36 light years ...
... Example: The first star to be measured this way was a star in the constellation of Cygnus. The angular difference was found to be 0.292 arcseconds. This gives a distance of 3.48 pc, or 11.36 light years ...
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence has mostly revolved
... ore than 50 years ago, while discussing the lack of evidence of extraterrestrials during a lunchtime conversation with colleagues, physicist Enrico Fermi voiced the famous question: Why do we seem to be alone in the universe? His query is now even more perplexing given the large number of planets th ...
... ore than 50 years ago, while discussing the lack of evidence of extraterrestrials during a lunchtime conversation with colleagues, physicist Enrico Fermi voiced the famous question: Why do we seem to be alone in the universe? His query is now even more perplexing given the large number of planets th ...
Section2_Coordinates.. - Faculty Web Sites at the University of Virginia
... - reflect the intrinsic motions of stars as these orbit around the Galactic center. - include: star’s motion, Sun’s motion, and the distance between the star and the Sun. - they are an angular measurement on the sky, i.e., perpendicular to the line of sight; that’s why they are also called tangentia ...
... - reflect the intrinsic motions of stars as these orbit around the Galactic center. - include: star’s motion, Sun’s motion, and the distance between the star and the Sun. - they are an angular measurement on the sky, i.e., perpendicular to the line of sight; that’s why they are also called tangentia ...
How to find ET with infrared light
... ore than 50 years ago, while discussing the lack of evidence of extraterrestrials during a lunchtime conversation with colleagues, physicist Enrico Fermi voiced the famous question: Why do we seem to be alone in the universe? His query is now even more perplexing given the large number of planets th ...
... ore than 50 years ago, while discussing the lack of evidence of extraterrestrials during a lunchtime conversation with colleagues, physicist Enrico Fermi voiced the famous question: Why do we seem to be alone in the universe? His query is now even more perplexing given the large number of planets th ...
Slide 1
... Gravitational effects from the planetary disk. This would work on planets that formed early, when the proto-planetary disk was still thick, and had not yet been dispelled by the stellar wind. Jovian-jovian gravitational interactions Encounters between planets could expel one, and send the other into ...
... Gravitational effects from the planetary disk. This would work on planets that formed early, when the proto-planetary disk was still thick, and had not yet been dispelled by the stellar wind. Jovian-jovian gravitational interactions Encounters between planets could expel one, and send the other into ...
Planetary system dynamics Planetary system dynamics
... (in mutually synchronous rotation, keeping same face to each other), and two 60-165km satellites in 6:4:1 orbital period ratio, all thought to have collisional origin ...
... (in mutually synchronous rotation, keeping same face to each other), and two 60-165km satellites in 6:4:1 orbital period ratio, all thought to have collisional origin ...
Sirius Astronomer - Orange County Astronomers
... Arrowhead. I volunteered to sleep on the porch of the little The Andromeda Galaxy is seen in the middle of this image taken on 4/27/04 along with tent with the counselor, because Comet Bradfield and a meteor. (Wally Pacholka) I wanted to be able to see the stars as I drifted off to sleep. That first ...
... Arrowhead. I volunteered to sleep on the porch of the little The Andromeda Galaxy is seen in the middle of this image taken on 4/27/04 along with tent with the counselor, because Comet Bradfield and a meteor. (Wally Pacholka) I wanted to be able to see the stars as I drifted off to sleep. That first ...
Lecture 1 – Astronomy
... For thousands of years humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered about the universe. They did not know that the starts were just as our own Sun, that we are part of a large galaxy and that there are billions of other galaxies. With only our own eyes we would not have any possibility to discove ...
... For thousands of years humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered about the universe. They did not know that the starts were just as our own Sun, that we are part of a large galaxy and that there are billions of other galaxies. With only our own eyes we would not have any possibility to discove ...
Lecture 2 - The University Centre in Svalbard
... For thousands of years humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered about the universe. They did not know that the starts were just as our own Sun, that we are part of a large galaxy and that there are billions of other galaxies. With only our own eyes we would not have any possibility to discove ...
... For thousands of years humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered about the universe. They did not know that the starts were just as our own Sun, that we are part of a large galaxy and that there are billions of other galaxies. With only our own eyes we would not have any possibility to discove ...
PHYSICS 1500 - ASTRONOMY TOTAL: 100 marks Section A Please
... In the unified model of active galaxies, which of the following factors explains the difference between Seyfert I and Seyfert II galaxies? (a) The rate at which the central black hole is consuming material (b) The thickness of the torus that obscures the accretion disk (c) The mass of the central bl ...
... In the unified model of active galaxies, which of the following factors explains the difference between Seyfert I and Seyfert II galaxies? (a) The rate at which the central black hole is consuming material (b) The thickness of the torus that obscures the accretion disk (c) The mass of the central bl ...
Galactic Evolution:
... Milky Way, thus, planetary systems forming in other locations and times in the Milky Way with the same metallicity as the Sun will not necessarily form habitable Earth like planets. As a result of the radial Galactic metafficity gradient, the outer limit of the GHZ is set primarily by the minimum re ...
... Milky Way, thus, planetary systems forming in other locations and times in the Milky Way with the same metallicity as the Sun will not necessarily form habitable Earth like planets. As a result of the radial Galactic metafficity gradient, the outer limit of the GHZ is set primarily by the minimum re ...
Galaxies – Island universes
... formation. About 1/10,000 of the total mass ends up in the center as a black hole. A million solar masses or more! • Mass infall is high when galaxy is young, so bright accretion disk can overwhelm the light from the rest of the galaxy and a Quasar may even result. Up to 1 solar mass/year infall. • ...
... formation. About 1/10,000 of the total mass ends up in the center as a black hole. A million solar masses or more! • Mass infall is high when galaxy is young, so bright accretion disk can overwhelm the light from the rest of the galaxy and a Quasar may even result. Up to 1 solar mass/year infall. • ...
Alone in the Universe - Let There Be Light : The Book
... systems will have a set of rocky inner planets, with atmospheres produced by outgassing, weathering and escape, for the same reasons that our own rocky inner planets have atmospheres. Judging from our own example, the chances seem good that one of these inner planets will orbit its star at the “righ ...
... systems will have a set of rocky inner planets, with atmospheres produced by outgassing, weathering and escape, for the same reasons that our own rocky inner planets have atmospheres. Judging from our own example, the chances seem good that one of these inner planets will orbit its star at the “righ ...
Unit 4: Astronomy
... of these in addition to an optical telescope. Assignment #2: Pages 568, 587-588 Topics: Distances to and motion of stars Objectives: 1) Describe how astronomers were first able to measure the distances to stars. 2) Describe the unit of the length developed by astronomers to measure and describe dist ...
... of these in addition to an optical telescope. Assignment #2: Pages 568, 587-588 Topics: Distances to and motion of stars Objectives: 1) Describe how astronomers were first able to measure the distances to stars. 2) Describe the unit of the length developed by astronomers to measure and describe dist ...
Candles in the Dark
... 2 Astronotes November 2006 works the other way around too. If you found a cepheid anywhere in the Universe, you could watch how long it took its brightness to go up and down, and this would tell you how bright it was. Comparing this with how bright it looks would give you how far away it was. Sudde ...
... 2 Astronotes November 2006 works the other way around too. If you found a cepheid anywhere in the Universe, you could watch how long it took its brightness to go up and down, and this would tell you how bright it was. Comparing this with how bright it looks would give you how far away it was. Sudde ...
ASTR 340 - TerpConnect
... The Sun is only one among 1011 stars bound together by gravity into a large cluster of stars called galaxy (Fig.2.2 & 2.3). The stars of the galaxy revolve about its center as the planets revolve about the Sun. The Sun itself participates in its rotating motion, with a period of 2 108 years. The g ...
... The Sun is only one among 1011 stars bound together by gravity into a large cluster of stars called galaxy (Fig.2.2 & 2.3). The stars of the galaxy revolve about its center as the planets revolve about the Sun. The Sun itself participates in its rotating motion, with a period of 2 108 years. The g ...
Sirius Astronomer - Orange County Astronomers
... article), and the Grand View campsite in the White Mountains near Bishop, California. The White Mountains campsites are “primitive”, and that OCA President Craig Bobchin captured the Milky Way over the includes no lights for a very long distance. When the Golden State Star Party in Aiden, CA on July ...
... article), and the Grand View campsite in the White Mountains near Bishop, California. The White Mountains campsites are “primitive”, and that OCA President Craig Bobchin captured the Milky Way over the includes no lights for a very long distance. When the Golden State Star Party in Aiden, CA on July ...
α Centauri: a double star - University of Canterbury
... Wiegert & Holman found stable orbits inside 2.34 AU, but unstable 3 to 70 AU from each star, provided i = 0° (coplanar with binary orbit). ...
... Wiegert & Holman found stable orbits inside 2.34 AU, but unstable 3 to 70 AU from each star, provided i = 0° (coplanar with binary orbit). ...
PDF Version
... was on one side of the sun in its orbit and then again six months later, when the earth was on the other side of the sun in its orbit. The differences in angle are extremely small; the nearest star to the sun is 4.37 light-years away and the change in angle because of parallax is about one and a hal ...
... was on one side of the sun in its orbit and then again six months later, when the earth was on the other side of the sun in its orbit. The differences in angle are extremely small; the nearest star to the sun is 4.37 light-years away and the change in angle because of parallax is about one and a hal ...
Lecture 12: Galaxies View of the Galaxy from within Comparison to
... Rotation curves of other galaxies • It is actually easier to derive rotation curves for external galaxies. • These can then be fitted by combining the expected gravitational effects due to the mass of the stars in the disk and bulge of the galaxy, plus a hypothetical halo of dark matter. • Such s ...
... Rotation curves of other galaxies • It is actually easier to derive rotation curves for external galaxies. • These can then be fitted by combining the expected gravitational effects due to the mass of the stars in the disk and bulge of the galaxy, plus a hypothetical halo of dark matter. • Such s ...
Extrasolar planets Topics to be covered Planets and brown dwarfs
... GQ Lupi & Planetary Companion ...
... GQ Lupi & Planetary Companion ...
Astron 104 Laboratory #11 The Scale of the Milky Way
... called the Local Group. The following table lists the distances to the centers of three Local Group galaxies. Draw a dot on your picture (if possible) to represent the center of each galaxy. Don’t worry about the direction (left/right/up/down) for each galaxy; just place a dot an appropriate distanc ...
... called the Local Group. The following table lists the distances to the centers of three Local Group galaxies. Draw a dot on your picture (if possible) to represent the center of each galaxy. Don’t worry about the direction (left/right/up/down) for each galaxy; just place a dot an appropriate distanc ...
Characteristics of Blue Elliptical Galaxies
... Blue Ellipticals • Unusual objects – Probably late-stage mergers – Stars have “settled down” – Using up remaining gas and dust ...
... Blue Ellipticals • Unusual objects – Probably late-stage mergers – Stars have “settled down” – Using up remaining gas and dust ...
The Family of Stars
... Binary Stars More than 50 % of all stars in our Milky Way are not single stars, but belong to binaries: Pairs or multiple systems of stars which orbit their common center of mass. If we can measure and understand their orbital motion, we can estimate the stellar ...
... Binary Stars More than 50 % of all stars in our Milky Way are not single stars, but belong to binaries: Pairs or multiple systems of stars which orbit their common center of mass. If we can measure and understand their orbital motion, we can estimate the stellar ...
Space Interferometry Mission
The Space Interferometry Mission, or SIM, also known as SIM Lite (formerly known as SIM PlanetQuest), was a planned space telescope developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in conjunction with contractor Northrop Grumman. One of the main goals of the mission was the hunt for Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of nearby stars other than the Sun. SIM was postponed several times and finally cancelled in 2010.In addition to hunting for extrasolar planets, SIM would have helped astronomers construct a map of the Milky Way galaxy. Other important tasks would have included collecting data to help pinpoint stellar masses for specific types of stars, assisting in the determination of the spatial distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way and in the Local Group of galaxies and using the gravitational microlensing effect to measure the mass of stars.The spacecraft would have used optical interferometry to accomplish these and other scientific goals. This technique collects light with multiple mirrors (in SIM's case, two) which is combined to make an interference pattern which can be very precisely measured.The initial contracts for SIM Lite were awarded in 1998, totaling US$200 million. Work on the SIM project required scientists and engineers to move through eight specific new technology milestones, and by November 2006, all eight had been completed.SIM Lite was originally scheduled for a 2005 launch, aboard an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). As a result of continued budget cuts, the launch date has been pushed back at least five times. NASA has set a preliminary launch date for 2015 and U.S. federal budget documents confirm that a launch date is expected ""no earlier"" than 2015. The budget cuts to SIM Lite are expected to continue through FY 2010. As of February 2007, many of the engineers working on the SIM program had moved on to other areas and projects, and NASA directed the project to allocate its resources toward engineering risk reduction. However, the preliminary budget for NASA for 2008 included zero dollars for SIM.In December 2007, the Congress restored funding for fiscal year 2008 as part of an omnibus appropriations bill which the President later signed. At the same time the Congress directed NASA to move the mission forward to the development phase. In 2009 the project continued its risk reduction work while waiting for the findings and recommendations of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, Astro2010, performed by the National Academy of Sciences, which would determine the project's future.On 13 August 2010, the Astro2010 Decadal Report was released and did not recommend that NASA continue the development of the SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory. This prompted NASA Astronomy and Physics Director, Jon Morse, to issue a letter on 24 September 2010 to the SIM Lite project manager, informing him that NASA was discontinuing its sponsorship of the SIM Lite mission and directing the project to discontinue Phase B activities immediately or as soon as practical. Accordingly, all SIM Lite activities were closed down by the end of calendar year 2010.