Astronomy/Solar SystemPresentation for

Science Olympiad

Presented by the New Mexico Tech Astronomy Club

November 5th, 2010

History and Formation of Solar System

-How old is the solar system? The solar system is 4.57 billion years old.-How did the solar system form? Protostellar cloud collapsed into a massive disk, first formed the sun, and over the years formed our solar system.-How much of the solar system’s mass is solely the mass of the Sun? 99.86% of the solar system’s mass is in the sun.

Images courtesy of SOHO consortium, an ESA and NASA Images courtesy of SOHO consortium, an ESA and NASA joint project.joint project.

Sun• What is the Sun’s temperature at the core? 15

million degrees Kelvin.• Compared to nearby stars, the Sun is luminous,

hot, and big.• Compared to apparently bright stars, the Sun is

dim, cool, and small.• Compared to stars in globular clusters, the Sun is

very young.• Compared to stars in open (galactic) clusters, the

Sun is very old.

Magnetic Field

• The sun is a magnetically active star.• Its magnetic field is strong, and changes

continually year-to-year and reverses its polarity about every eleven years, this cycle is called they Schwabe Cycle.

• The sun’s magnetic field causes solar activity, including sunspots on its surface, solar flares, and solar winds.

6

Layers of the Sun-Corona

Solar Wind-Chromosphere

ProminencesSolar Flares

-PhotosphereSunspots

Subsurface Flows-Internal Structure:

Convection zoneRadiative zoneInner Core

Copyright:Wikipedia - GNU Free Documentation License

The Sun’s Lifecycle

• The Sun was formed about 4.57 billion years ago when a hydrogen molecular cloud collapsed.

• It is about halfway through its main-sequence evolution, during this time, nuclear fusion reactions in its core fuse hydrogen into helium.

• It will spend approx. 10 billion years as a main sequence star

Auroras• What causes Auroras? When

charged particles from the solar winds hit the magnetic field of Earth and are brought close to the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Where do auroras most often occur? They occur in high northern and far southern latitudes but have occasionally been seen in the equator.

• Why are they seen in the northern and southern latitudes? That is where the charged particles reach closest to Earth.

Terrestrial and Gaseous Planets

Terrestrial Planets• What is another name for Inner Planets? Terrestrial

planets.• Name the Inner Planets. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.• What are their similarities? -They are all composed mostly of rock, and heavy metals. -Closest to the sun, their cores are mostly made of iron,

and also have varied terrain such as volcanoes, canyons, mountains, and craters.

-The terrestrial planets have few or no satellites.• How do Terrestrial Planets differ from Gaseous?

Terrestrial planets are much smaller, and do not have planetary rings like Gaseous planets.

Mercury• Distance:57.91 million km

from the Sun• Diameter: 4,878 km• Mass: 3.3x10^23 kg• Density: 5.43 g/cm• Satellites: None• Surface Temperature: 166.7

degrees Celsius• Rotation: 58.65 Earth days• Axial Tilt: none• Orbital period: 87.97 Earth

days• Atmosphere consists of:

Helium, Sodium, Oxygen

Venus• Distance: 108.2 million km from

the sun• Diameter: 12,102 km• Mass: 4.87x10^24 kg• Density:5.25 g/cm^3• Surface Temperature: more than

500 degrees Celsius• Satellites: None• Orbital Period: 224.7 Earth days• Rotation: 243.01 Earth days• Axial Tilt: 177.3• Atmosphere consists of:

Poisonous carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid

Earth• Distance:149,597,870 km from

the Sun• Diameter: 12,756 km• Mass: 5.24x10^24 kg• Density: 5.52 g/cm^3• Surface Temperature: 15

degrees Celsius• Satellites: Luna• Orbital Period: 365 days• Rotation: 24 hours• Axial Tilt:23.5• Atmosphere consists of:• Nitrogen and Oxygen

Mars• Distance: 227.94 million km

from the Sun• Diameter: 6.786 km• Mass: 6.42x10^23 kg• Density: 3.95g/cm^3• Surface Temperature: ranges

from -5 to -87 degrees Celsius• Satellites: Phobos, Deimos• Axial Tilt: 25.19• Rotation: 24.62 Earth days• Orbital period: 686 Earth days• Atmosphere consists of:

Carbon Dioxide, and nitrogen

Jovian Planets

-Gas planets in the Solar System-Last 4 Planets in the Solar System-Mostly made up of Hydrogen, Helium, Ammonia and Methane

-Jovian Planets:Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Jupiter-Distance From Sun: 788.3 Million km or 5.2 AU-Diameter: 142,984 km-Mass: 1900x10^24 kg-Density: 1.33 g/cm3

-Major Satellites: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto-Surface Temperature: 14.8-19.8 degrees Celsius-Atmosphere: Hydrogen and Helium with traces of Methane and Ammonia-Seasons: No real changes in Seasons due to its 3˚ Tilt.Features: Great Red Spot

Saturn

-Distance from Sun: 1,426.98 Million km or 9.54 AU-Diameter: 120,536 km-Mass: 569x10^24 kg-Density: .69 g/cm3

-Major Satellites: Titan, Rhea, Dione-Atmosphere: Hydrogen-Helium. Weak reactions in atmosphere attribute to its color-Rings: Made up of billions of particles of rock and ice.-Seasons: No real changes due to its distance from the sun. Has a 26˚ axis tilt

Uranus-Distance From Sun: 2,870.99 Million km or 19.19 AU-Diameter: 51,118 km-Mass: 86.6x10^24 kg-Density: 1.29 g/cm3

-Major Satellites: Oberon, Miranda-Surface Temperature: -197.15 degrees Celsius-Atmosphere: Hydrogen, Helium, Ammonia. Absorption of Methane gives it its blue color-Rings: Faint Rings-Seasons: 20 Year long Seasons due to its 82˚ axis tilt

Neptune-Distance from Sun: 4.497 Million km or 30 AU-Diameter: 49,528 km-Mass: 103x10^24 kg-Density: 1.64 g/cm3

-Major Satellites: Triton-Surface Temperature: -200.15 degrees Celsius-Atmosphere: Hydrogen, Helium, Methane, Ammonia-Rings: Faint Rings-Seasons: No big changes due to its distance. Brightness in clouds in southern Hemisphere. Has 28˚ axis tilt.

Lunar Eclipses.

• Lunar eclipses—occurs only when the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon.

Solar Eclipses• Solar eclipses—occurs when the Moon passes

between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially covers the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can only happen during a new moon.

Lunar Phases

• What are the lunar phases? The phase of the moon is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by the observer. This cycle takes 29.5 days. Don’t get this confused with the 27.3 days it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth.

Planetary phases

• What is Planetary phases? Planetary phases describe the appearance of the illuminated section of a planet.

• To the left is Venus’s planetary phases.

Dwarf Planets

-Objects in orbit around the Sun that can sustain its shape due to self-gravity.

-The difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is that a dwarf planet has not cleared other objects from its orbit.

-Dwarf Planets: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris

Ceres

-Distance from Sun: 413,832,587 km or 2.76 AU-Diameter: 950 km-Density: 2.07 g/cm3

-Satellites: None

Pluto

-Distance from Sun: 5,913.52 Million km or 39.5 AU-Diameter: 2,300 km-Density: 2.03 g/cm3

-Satellite: Charon

Haumea

-Distance From Sun: 6452 Gm or 43.1 AU-Diameter: 1436 km-Density: ~ 3 g/cm3

-Satellites: Hi’iaka, Namaka

Makemake

-Distance From Sun: 6850.3 Gm or 45.8 AU-Diameter: 1500 km-Density: 2 g/cm3

-Satellites: None

Eris

-Distance From Sun: 10.12 Gm or 67.67 AU-Diameter: 2500 km-Density: 2.25 g/cm3

-Satellites: Dysnomia

Solar System Objects

-Meteoroid: A small rock or boulder classified as debris from the solar system. Any debris that enters the atmosphere is known as a meteor and any debris surviving an impact on the ground is known as a meteorite. •What is the difference between a Meteoroid, Meteor and a Meteorite?-Comets: A chunk of dust and ice left over from the formations of the solar system. Usually consist of the nucleus of dust and ice with a tail.

-Asteroid: Rocky and metallic bodies within the solar system that orbit the sun.

Kuiper Belt-Kuiper Belt: A region of space outside the orbit of Neptune that contains dwarf planets and other small objects. This region extends from around 40 AU to 80 AU and is shaped in orbit around the sun as a donut ring. The sun’s outmost reach is said to be within the Kuiper Belt, from where the solar system ends and begins interstellar space, known as the heliopause. •What sort of objects are contained in the Kuiper Belt?

Oort Cloud-The Oort Cloud: A huge spherical region of small, deep frozen objects that form the nuclei of comets. This region begins at about a half a light year radius from earth to 1.5 light years (or 50,000 AUs). It was proposed by Dutch Astronomer Jan Oort when studying comets. Noticing that they all had their aphelia, or farthest distance from the sun, in this region, possibly indicating that this is where comets are coming from and returning to. The Oort Cloud is estimated to contain a trillion dormant comets.•What sort of objects originate in the Oort Cloud?•What is the radius of the Oort Cloud from the sun?

Star Formation

-Star Formation: Stars form from dense regions of great gas and dust clouds within a galaxy, usually nebulas. By gaining enough mass and gravity, the star begins to emit radiation and ultimately create enough heat within the core to cause nuclear fusion. Finally when the star gets hot enough, the true hydrogen fusion within the star begins, giving birth to a very hot star emitting a lot of energy from the hydrogen fusion throughout the core.•What type of fusion must occur for a star to form?

StarsGlobular Clusters: A distinct, densely packed ball of stars that can approach a population density one thousand times greater than our stellar neighborhood. •What type of object is displayed in the image?

Type 1a Supernova: The collapse of a existing white dwarf usually in a binary star system that gains mass from its companion and results in too much fusion of carbon and oxygen.•Type 1a Supernova consists of what type of star?Type II Supernova: An explosion that marks the demise of a star of very high solar masses or more. Either a neutron star or a black hole is left over.•What type of object is left over from a Type II Supernova?1987A Supernova: After and Before

StarsEclipsing Binaries: Two gravitationally bound stars that orbit around each other causing their orbits to bring one star in front of the other, giving eclipses of each other. •What type of object emits the given light intensity?

X-ray Binaries: Binary Star system in which illuminate with x-rays. The x ray emissions are caused from matter being transferred from one star to the other releasing gravitational potential energy. These two stars usually consist of a normal star with a smaller white dwarf, neutron star or black hole. •Identify the object.

Stars

Epsilon Aurigae: A eclipsing binary star system in the constellation Auriga. It has a period of 27.1 years and the eclipse lasts around 640-730 days. The secondary star is believed to be a semitransparent star, which is a type of transparent shell star.•What type of object is Epsilon Aurigae?

Galaxies

-Galactic Structure: Formed after the events of the Big Bang due to formations of dark matter and fluctuations from the aftermath of the Big Bang.

5 Types of Galaxies:•Spiral•Barred spiral•Elliptical •Irregular•Ring•Interacting

Types of GalaxiesEllipticalSpiral Barred Spiral

Irregular InteractingRing

Galaxies

• What galaxy is pictured?• A: NGC 2623Two spiral galaxies merging into one and forming a single unified center

or a active galactic nucleus (AGN).

-Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN): The center of a galaxy that emits a much higher luminosity over the electromagnetic spectrum than most galaxies. Any galaxy containing an AGN is considered to be an Active Galaxy. This emission of energy is the result of the build up of mass at the galaxy’s massive black hole at its center.

Galaxies

-Galaxy Cluster: A collection of dozens to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity. These are the largest objects in the universe as they span across hundreds of millions of light years across space.

Fornax Cluster

Local Group

Groups of Galaxies: Dozens of galaxies that are grouped together within a few megaparsecs of each other. Our own galaxy is within the Local Group of galaxies that consist of around 40 galaxies. • Which Group of Galaxies is the Milky Way part of?

Andromeda Galaxy

Cosmos Objects

-Quasars: A very bright, distant core of an extremely powerful active galaxy. These objects are the brightest objects in the cosmos and are identified through radio emissions and visible light. At the center is a very powerful black hole that emits a lot of energy, equivalent to a trillion times that of the sun.

Black Holes

Black holes: A concentration of mass with a gravitation field so strong that within a certain radius, nothing can escape it, not even light. These are usually the result of massive stars collapsing in on themselves under their own weight.

Supermassive Black Holes: The result of collapsing gas clouds or merging black holes that are usually found at the center of a galaxy.

•What is the difference between a black hole and a supermassive black hole?

Pulsating Variables-Cepheid: Type F to K supergiant stars that pulsate with a period of 1 to 70 days. They are brighter than RR Lyrae StarsTwo Types:Population 1: Young Massive StarsPopulation 2: Old Fainter Stars on an average of 1.5 in magnitude

-RR Lyrae Variables: Type A stars that do not vary greatly in magnitude (1 or 2 degrees of magnitude) that have a period of an hour to a day.

•Identify the graphs for each type of Pulsating Variable.

Deep Sky Objects

MACSJ0717.5+3745: A collision of 4 separate galaxy clusters, one of the first to be discovered.

SN 2006gy: One of the brightest stellar supernovas, it was a high energy supernova from a very large star in a distant galaxy. It is a pair-instability supernova, meaning a massive explosion from the star that does not leave a black hole.

Deep Sky ObjectsSN 1996crA very close supernova located near the Circinus Galaxy. It is one of the brightest supernovas discovered using radio and X-ray technology.

NGC 4603

NGC4603: A Spiral Galaxy located about 108 million light years away and is located in the constellation Centaurus.

JKCS041: A Galaxy cluster that was discovered to be one of the farthest objects at around 10 billion light years away.

Distance Modulus Formula

d = 10(m-M+5)/5

D = Distance to Starm = Apparent MagnitudeM = Absolute Magnitude

Hubble’s Law

-Recessional Velocity = (Hubble’s Constant) * (Distance)OrV=H*D

V = Observed Velocity of the Galaxy (km/sec)H = Hubble’s Constant ~ 77 km/sec/Mpc(Confirmed by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory)D = Distance of Galaxy (Mpc)

Kepler’s Laws

• What are Kepler’s Laws? Three laws determined by Johannes Kepler, that describe the elliptical motions of planets in their orbits.

What are Newton’s 3 Laws?

• 1st – Force causes motion.• 2nd – Net Force = (constantmass)(acceleration)• 3rd – If object A exerts a force on object B,

then object B exerts an oppositely directed force of equal magnitude on A.

Units of F = kg(m/s^2)

Magic letter g = 9.8 m/s^2

Gravitational Attraction

• What is the gravitational constant of universal gravitation? 6.67x10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2, where m1 and m2 equal the masses, and r equals the distance between the particles.

F=-Gm1m2/r^2

Spectra

Measured by spectrograph Prism or diffraction-grating based

Magnitude vs. wavelength Continuum (thermal blackbody) Emission lines (chemical) Absorption lines (chemical)

Spectra Applications

Measuring movement (redshift) Galactic expansion Galaxy spin-rates Exoplanet transit identification

Identifying chemical compositions Gaseous nebula and star-forming regions

Stellar Magnitudes Logarithmic brightness scale centered at Vega

(magnitude 0 star of the constellation Lyra) Brighter things have smaller magnitude

numbers, while dimmer things have large magnitudes

Absolute vs. apparent (integrated) magnitudes Absolute requires knowledge of object size and

distance Apparent is simply how bright something “looks”

to us

Stellar Classifications

O B A F G K M - “Oh be a fine girl, kiss me”

O is hottest (blue), M is coolest (red) B: Bright and blue [e.g. Pleiades] A: White or bluish-white [e.g. Sirius] G: Yellowish [e.g. Sun] K: Giants/supergiants, reddish [e.g. Arcturus] M: Most common, very red [e.g. Betelgeuse]

Hertzsprung-Russel Diagram

Shows intensity vs spectral type Intensity measured in two photometric bands,

B and V (B ~ Blue, V ~ Green) Shows the aging of stars (stellar evolution)

Main sequence

Light Curves

A plot of magnitude vs time Common applications

Binary/Variable star observation Planetary transit searches Asteroid modeling