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Chapter 23: Problem 3

How did observations of globular clusters help astronomers determine our location in the Galaxy?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Globular cluster observations helped astronomers to determine our position in the Milky Way by suggesting we are not located at the Galactic Center. Instead, based on the direction and density of globular clusters, it was inferred we are located in one of the Galaxy's spiral arms.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Globular Clusters

Globular clusters are spherical collections of stars, densely populated and bound together by gravity. They orbit around galaxies - including our own, the Milky Way.
02

Distribution of Globular Clusters

If we plot the locations of globular clusters in the Milky Way, they are not equally spread out. Instead, they cluster more densely in one particular region. This area is known as the Galactic Center or the Galactic Bulge.
03

Identifying our position in the Galaxy

Based on the distribution of the globular clusters, it was inferred that the region towards which they are more densely populated is the Galactic Center. Consequently, by looking at the direction and density of globular clusters, astronomers were able to determine our position in the Milky Way as being not at the center, but rather in one of the Galaxy's spiral arms.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

An RR Lyrae star whose peak luminosity is \(100 \mathrm{~L}_{\odot}\) is in a globular cluster. At its peak luminosity, this star appears from Earth to be only \(1.47 \times 10^{-18}\) as bright as the Sun. Determine the distance to this globular cluster (a) in \(\mathrm{AU}\) and (b) in parsecs.

The disk of the Galaxy is about \(50 \mathrm{kpc}\) in diameter and 600 pc thick. (a) Find the volume of the disk in cubic parsecs. (b) Find the volume (in cubic parsecs) of a sphere \(300 \mathrm{pc}\) in radius centered on the Sun. (c) If supernovae occur randomly throughout the volume of the Galaxy, what is the probability that a given supernova will occur within \(300 \mathrm{pc}\) of the Sun? If there are about three supernovae each century in our Galaxy, how often, on average, should we expect to see one within \(300 \mathrm{pc}\) of the Sun?

What must happen within a hydrogen atom for it to emit a photon of wavelength \(21 \mathrm{~cm}\) ?

\(\mathrm{O}\) or \(\mathrm{B}\) main-sequence stars are found in the galactic disk but not in globular clusters. Why is this so?

Calculate the energy of the photon emitted when a hydrogen atom undergoes a spin-flip transition. How many such photons would it take to equal the energy of a single \(\mathrm{H}_{\alpha}\) photon of wavelength \(656.3 \mathrm{~nm}\) ?
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