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Chapter 20: Problem 56

The images that open this chapter show two kinds of glowing gas clouds: a planetary nebula and a supernova remnant. (a) Explain what makes the planetary nebula glow and what makes the supernova remnant glow. (Hint: The explanations are different for the two kinds of gas clouds.) (b) Which of these two kinds of gas clouds continues to glow for a longer time? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
A planetary nebula glows due to the ionization of the surrounding gas by the ultraviolet light from the central white dwarf. In contrast, a supernova remnant's glow is caused by the ionization of interstellar medium by the shock wave from the supernova explosion. Among those, the supernova remnant glows for a longer time because the propagation of the shock wave covers a much larger distance, thus ionizing and lighting up more material for a longer period.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding what makes planetary nebula glow

A planetary nebula glows because of the ionizing ultraviolet light produced from the hot core of the dying star, also known as the white dwarf. This high-energy UV-light ionizes the surrounding gas. When these ions recombine with electrons, they emit light in specific colors. For example, if the gas is mostly hydrogen, it will glow red (just like in a neon advertising board).
02

Understanding what makes supernova remnant glow

Supernova remnants glow because of the shock wave energy from the supernova explosion itself. When a star explodes, it throws off a massive amount of energy and material outward creating a shock wave. As this shock wave travels through space, it heats and ionizes the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) causing it to glow.
03

Figuring out which gas cloud glows for a longer time and why

A supernova remnant glows longer than a planetary nebula. This is because the energy driving the glow of a planetary nebula (the hot white dwarf) cools over time, eventually halting the ionization of the gas and thus stopping the glow. In contrast, the energy for a supernova remnant (the shock wave) propagates over a lot larger distance, thus ionizing a greater amount of material and hence lasting for a longer time.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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

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