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Chapter 20: Problem 17

Why do you suppose that all the white dwarfs known to astronomers are relatively close to the Sun?

Short Answer

Expert verified
White dwarfs are relatively dim, making them difficult to spot from a far distance. Therefore, it's likely that we can mostly observe white dwarfs which are relatively close to us due to the limitations of current observational astronomical tools.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding White Dwarfs

A white dwarf is a type of star that has exhausted all its central nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers. It is typically very dense, with a mass comparable to that of the Sun but a volume similar to the Earth. As a result, white dwarfs are usually very dim.
02

Observational Constraints

Observing space bodies such as stars is determined by two main factors: how bright the star is and how far it's from us. Since white dwarfs are dim, they can be challenging to detect if they are far away.
03

Conclude

Considering the characteristics of white dwarfs - their dimness, and the limitations of observational astronomy - we can infer that the reason astronomers mostly identify only 'nearby' white dwarfs is due to our detection limit. It becomes increasingly difficult to spot these faint stars the farther they are.

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