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Chapter 5: Problem 10

Why do astronomers find it convenient to use the Kelvin temperature scale in their work rather than the Celsius or Fahrenheit scale?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Astronomers find it convenient to use the Kelvin temperature scale in their work rather than the Celsius or Fahrenheit scale because the Kelvin scale, as an absolute temperature scale, begins at absolute zero and lacks negative values. This makes it useful in astronomical observations and calculations dealing with extreme temperatures.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the three temperature scales

Recognize that Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin are scales used to measure temperature. They differ among themselves in terms of their zero points and increments. For example, Fahrenheit has the freezing point of water at 32 degrees, Celsius has it at 0, and Kelvin, which is an absolute temperature scale, has it at 273.15.
02

Understand the Kelvin scale

Understand that the Kelvin scale is an absolute temperature scale used in physical sciences. The Kelvin scale starts from absolute zero (0 K), which is the lowest possible temperature where all molecular movement comes to a near stop. Unlike Fahrenheit and Celsius, it does not use degrees, but rather is represented in Kelvins (K). This makes calculations involving temperature easier.
03

Apply this understanding to astronomy

In astronomy, the main focus is on very high temperatures, like those in stars, or very low temperatures, such as those in space. Those temperatures mostly work with absolute values and involve calculations where having a zero point that is absolute zero (like Kelvin) is much more convenient. For the same reasons, Celsius and Fahrenheit scales, with their zero points based on water freezing points, are less useful in the context of astronomy.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Use the Staryy Night Enthusiast \({ }^{\text {TM }}\) program to examine the temperatures of several relatively nearby stars. First display the entire celestial sphere (select Guides \(>\) Atlas in the Favourites menu). You can now search for each of the stars listed below. Open the Find pane, click on the magnifying glass icon at the left side of the edit box at the top of the Find pane, select Star from the menu that appears, type the name of the star in the edit box and click the Enter (Return) key. (i) Altair; (ii) Procyon; (iii) Epsilon Indi; (iv) Tau Ceti; (v) Epsilon Eridani; (vi) Lalande 2118.5. Information for each star can then be found by clicking on the Info tab at the far left of the Stary Night Enthusiast \(^{\mathrm{TM}}\) window. For each star, record its temperature (listed in the Info pane under Other Data). Then answer the following questions. (a) Which of the stars have a longer wavelength of maximum emission \(\lambda_{\max }\) than the Sun? Which of the stars have a shorter \(\lambda_{\max }\) than the Sun? (b) Which of the stars has a reddish color?

Why do different elements display different patterns of lines in their spectra?

The bright star Bellatrix in the constellation Orion has a surface temperature of \(21,500 \mathrm{~K}\). What is its wavelength of maximum emission in nanometers? What color is this star?

(a) What is a blackbody? (b) In what way is a blackbody black? (c) If a blackbody is black, how can it emit light? (d) If you were to shine a flashlight beam on a perfect blackbody, what would happen to the light?

Use the Starry Night Enthusiast \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\) program to examine some distant celestial objects. First display the entire celestial sphere (select Guides \(>\) Atlas in the Favourites menu) and ensure that deep space objects are displayed by opening View \(>\) Deep Space and clicking on Messier Objects and Bright NGC Objects. You can now search for objects (i), (ii), and (iii) listed below. Click the Find tab at the left of the main view window to open the Find pane, click on the magnifying glass icon at the left of the edit box at the top of the Find pane and select Search All from the menu, and then type the name of the object in the edit box followed by the Enter (Return) key. The object will be centered in the view. For each object, use the zoom controls at the right-hand end of the Toolbar (at the top of the main window) to adjust your view until you can see the object in detail. For each object, state whether it has a continuous spectrum, an absorption line spectrum, or an emission line spectrum, and explain your reasoning. (i) The Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. (Hint: See Figure 5-18.) (With a field of view of about \(6^{\circ} \times 4^{\circ}\), you can compare and contrast the appearance of the Lagoon Nebula with the Trifid Nebula just to the north of it.) (ii) M31, the great galaxy in the constellation Andromeda. (Hint: The light coming from this galaxy is the combined light of hundreds of billions of individual stars.) (ii) The Moon. (Hint: Recall from Section \(3-1\) that moonlight is simply reflected sunlight.)
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