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Chapter 23: Problem 6

The galactic halo is dominated by Population II stars, whereas the galactic disk contains predominantly Population I stars. In which of these parts of the Galaxy has star formation taken place recently? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Recent star formation has taken place in the galactic disk, which contains predominantly Population I stars.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Population I and II Stars

Population I stars are young stars that typically contain more heavy elements than the older Population II stars. This difference comes from Population I stars being formed later in the universe's development, allowing for previous generations of stars to 'pollute' the interstellar medium with heavy elements through supernova explosions.
02

Consider Star Formation

Stars form from the interstellar medium, which is composed of gas and dust. When this medium is high in heavy elements, it forms Population I stars. Over time, as stars 'pollute' the medium with more heavy elements, the stars formed become progressively more heavy element rich, leading to the formation of Population I stars.
03

Determine Recent Star Formation Location

Since Population I stars are younger, contain more heavy elements, and are formed in times of high heavy-element concentration in the interstellar medium, recent star formation is taking place in areas where these stars dominate. In this case, that implies recent star formation is more present in the galactic disk, where Population I stars predominate.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why are infrared telescopes useful for exploring the structure of the Galaxy? Why is it important to make observations at both near-infrared and far- infrared wavelengths?

Describe how the appearance of the night sky might change if dark matter were visible to our eyes.

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 kinds of objects (other than H I clouds) do astronomers observe to map out the Galaxy's spiral structure? What is special about these objects? Which of these can be observed at great distances?

Consider a star that orbits around Sagittarius \(A^{*}\) in a circular orbit of radius \(530 \mathrm{AU}\). (a) If the star's orbital speed is \(2500 \mathrm{~km} / \mathrm{s}\), what is its orbital period? Give your answer in years. (b) Determine the sum of the masses of Sagittarius A* and the star. Give your answer in solar masses. (Your answer is an estimate of the mass of Sagittarius A*, because the mass of a single star is negligibly small by comparison.)
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