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Mobile App Chapter 15: Problem 3
The interstellar medium in the Sun's region of the galaxy is closest in composition to a. the Sun. b. Jupiter. c. Earth. d. comets in the Oort Cloud.
Short Answer
Expert verified
The Sun.
Step by step solution
01
Identify Key Components of Each Option
Understand the composition of the interstellar medium and compare it with the compositions of the Sun, Jupiter, Earth, and comets in the Oort Cloud. The interstellar medium mainly consists of hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of heavier elements.
02
Analyze the Sun's Composition
The Sun is predominantly composed of hydrogen (~74%) and helium (~24%). This composition is similar to the interstellar medium.
03
Analyze Jupiter's Composition
Jupiter is primarily made of hydrogen (~90%) and helium (~10%), similar to the interstellar medium, but also contains more significant amounts of other elements in its atmosphere.
04
Analyze Earth's Composition
Earth is composed mainly of heavier elements such as iron, oxygen, silicon, and magnesium. This makes its composition significantly different from the interstellar medium.
05
Analyze Comets in the Oort Cloud
Comets consist mainly of water ice, methane, ammonia, and dust, which differs from the interstellar medium's composition majorly composed of hydrogen and helium.
06
Compare All Options
Compare the compositions of the Sun, Jupiter, Earth, and comets in the Oort Cloud with the interstellar medium. The Sun and Jupiter are closest in composition due to their high hydrogen and helium contents.
07
Choose the Closest Match
The Sun's composition is almost identical to that of the interstellar medium, with both predominantly comprising hydrogen and helium. Hence, the closest match is the Sun.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Sun composition
The Sun, our star, plays a crucial role in the solar system and its composition is primarily made up of hydrogen and helium. Approximately 74% of the Sun's mass is hydrogen, making it the most abundant element. Helium makes up about 24% of the mass.
Other elements, like oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron, are present in much smaller quantities.
The composition of the Sun has a direct impact on the solar system and provides insight into the materials present in the interstellar medium.
Understanding the Sun's makeup helps astronomers compare it with other celestial bodies and phenomena.
Other elements, like oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron, are present in much smaller quantities.
The composition of the Sun has a direct impact on the solar system and provides insight into the materials present in the interstellar medium.
Understanding the Sun's makeup helps astronomers compare it with other celestial bodies and phenomena.
hydrogen and helium abundance
Hydrogen and helium are the most abundant elements in the universe, which directly reflects in the composition of the Sun and the interstellar medium.
These two elements were formed in the Big Bang and account for most of the baryonic mass in the cosmos.
In the Sun, hydrogen undergoes nuclear fusion in its core, producing helium and releasing energy that powers the Sun.
The high abundance of these elements in the interstellar medium supports that it is closely related to the Sun.
This is because they both share a similar elemental composition dominated by hydrogen and helium.
These two elements were formed in the Big Bang and account for most of the baryonic mass in the cosmos.
In the Sun, hydrogen undergoes nuclear fusion in its core, producing helium and releasing energy that powers the Sun.
The high abundance of these elements in the interstellar medium supports that it is closely related to the Sun.
This is because they both share a similar elemental composition dominated by hydrogen and helium.
Jupiter composition
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and has a composition that closely mirrors the Sun's. It is mainly composed of hydrogen (~90%) and helium (~10%), with trace amounts of other elements like methane, water, ammonia, and rocky material.
The similarity in composition with the Sun stems from their common formation source — the solar nebula.
Jupiter’s high percentage of hydrogen and helium makes it another excellent comparison point when studying the interstellar medium.
However, the Sun remains a slightly better match due to the closer ratio of hydrogen to helium.
The similarity in composition with the Sun stems from their common formation source — the solar nebula.
Jupiter’s high percentage of hydrogen and helium makes it another excellent comparison point when studying the interstellar medium.
However, the Sun remains a slightly better match due to the closer ratio of hydrogen to helium.
Earth composition
Earth's composition is vastly different from that of the Sun, Jupiter, and the interstellar medium. The Earth is a terrestrial planet, rich in heavier elements.
The primary components of Earth's crust are oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
These elements make the Earth dense and rocky compared to the gas giants and the Sun.
This significant difference in elemental makeup highlights why Earth is not similar to the interstellar medium in composition.
The primary components of Earth's crust are oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
These elements make the Earth dense and rocky compared to the gas giants and the Sun.
This significant difference in elemental makeup highlights why Earth is not similar to the interstellar medium in composition.
Oort Cloud comets composition
Comets from the Oort Cloud, located at the far edges of the solar system, have a distinct composition when compared to the Sun and the interstellar medium.
They are primarily composed of water ice, methane, ammonia, and dust.
These icy objects hold materials from the early solar system.
Despite representing ancient, unchanged history, their composition still does not match the hydrogen and helium dominance of the interstellar medium.
This makes them a poor comparison to the interstellar medium.
They are primarily composed of water ice, methane, ammonia, and dust.
These icy objects hold materials from the early solar system.
Despite representing ancient, unchanged history, their composition still does not match the hydrogen and helium dominance of the interstellar medium.
This makes them a poor comparison to the interstellar medium.
