1) The Big Bang theory proposes that approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the entire mass and space of the known universe was contained in a very hot, dense point, and it began rapidly expanding and cooling.
2) As the universe expanded and cooled over the first few hundred thousand years, simple atoms like hydrogen and helium formed. Gravity caused these atoms to collect into clouds that eventually formed the first stars and galaxies.
3) Observations of very distant galaxies show their light has been significantly redshifted, indicating the galaxies are moving away from us as space itself expands. The further away a galaxy is, the faster it recedes, providing evidence the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang.
1) The Big Bang theory proposes that approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the entire mass and space of the known universe was contained in a very hot, dense point, and it began rapidly expanding and cooling.
2) As the universe expanded and cooled over the first few hundred thousand years, simple atoms like hydrogen and helium formed. Gravity caused these atoms to collect into clouds that eventually formed the first stars and galaxies.
3) Observations of very distant galaxies show their light has been significantly redshifted, indicating the galaxies are moving away from us as space itself expands. The further away a galaxy is, the faster it recedes, providing evidence the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang.
1) The Big Bang theory proposes that approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the entire mass and space of the known universe was contained in a very hot, dense point, and it began rapidly expanding and cooling.
2) As the universe expanded and cooled over the first few hundred thousand years, simple atoms like hydrogen and helium formed. Gravity caused these atoms to collect into clouds that eventually formed the first stars and galaxies.
3) Observations of very distant galaxies show their light has been significantly redshifted, indicating the galaxies are moving away from us as space itself expands. The further away a galaxy is, the faster it recedes, providing evidence the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang.
1) The Big Bang theory proposes that approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the entire mass and space of the known universe was contained in a very hot, dense point, and it began rapidly expanding and cooling.
2) As the universe expanded and cooled over the first few hundred thousand years, simple atoms like hydrogen and helium formed. Gravity caused these atoms to collect into clouds that eventually formed the first stars and galaxies.
3) Observations of very distant galaxies show their light has been significantly redshifted, indicating the galaxies are moving away from us as space itself expands. The further away a galaxy is, the faster it recedes, providing evidence the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang.
everything that orbits the Sun as a result of the → Pull of gravity: → planets and moons, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets
Asteroids: rocks that orbit the Sun in between Mars and Jupiter Comets: rocks that go around the Sun in elongated elliptical orbits, distance to the Sun changes over time Astrophysics
Introduction
Galaxy: a large group of billions of stars.
The Sun is one of several hundred billions stars in a galaxy called the Milky Way.
Milky Way galaxy is one of many billions of galaxies in the Universe.
Orbits Gravitational field strength (gfs)
The force ‘down’ for 1 kg of mass towards the centre of each object is called the gravitational field strength, g, and it is different for each object.
Gravity happens because of mass.
→ the larger the mass, the higher the gfs
Two objects with a different radius have the same mass then the smaller one will have a higher value for gfs at the surface. Orbits The pull of gravity and orbits
→ Close to Earth, gravity causes objects to fall to the surface.
→ Further from the Earth or further from any large body, gravity causes → any object with mass to have an attractive force between them. →smaller masses to orbit larger ones.
→ artificial satellites orbit the Earth
→ moons orbit planets and dwarf planets → planets orbit the Sun Orbits Speed of orbits
Attraction force causes the smaller mass to continuously
change direction and so it orbits the larger mass. Orbits are actually elliptical (oval) they are close enough to a circle for most calculations Practice Comets → lumps of rocks and ice orbiting the Sun.
→ ice melted by the Sun’s heat as they get closer
→ cometary ‘tail’
→ orbits are highly elliptical and they are only close to the Sun for a small proportion of their journey.
→ travel faster when they are close to the Sun because gravity causes more acceleration Stellar evolution Star temperature and colour
Stars → emit different kinds of EM radiation, including vis. Light
→ described by brightness. → how much vis. light can be detected here on Earth
→ brightness ≠ luminosity (energy emitted each second across all wavelength,
visible and otherwise)
→based on colour (surface temperature) surface temp of the
→ red or orange= coolest Sun = 5800 K → blue- white = hottest (Yellow-white) Stellar evolution Lifecycle of a star Collection of dust and gas = nebula
Gravity causes some of the particles to move
together, first slowly, the more quickly, and when a central mass forms, it is called protostar.
Weight of the outer layers continues the
squeeze the atoms closer together and so both pressure and temperature increase
Nuclei collide quickly enough, nuclear fusion
starts, turning H2 to He, → main sequence star formed Stellar evolution Stars about the size of the Sun
Stars like our Sun will eventually run out of the hydrogen atoms. → pressure drops → forces holding the surface away from core decrease → star collapse → core temperature increases (surface is cooler) → star increases in size → new fusion process → He turns into heavier atoms (C, O) → red giant
When He runs out, core cools down again, star shrinks
→ white dwarf (smaller , hot surface) --------> black dwarf Stellar evolution Stars much larger than the Sun (10 times, at least)
He turns into heavier atoms
→ red super giant
Enough mass → higher gravity, higher pressure → form larger atom, e.g. Iron
Runs out atom for fusion
→ core cool down and surface collapse, happens so fast → rapid crushing of the core → star explode = supernova Stellar evolution Stars much larger than the Sun (10 times, at least)
Explosion scatter outer layers into the space
Core left behind after supernova but it is now so dense
→ atoms cannot exist → protons and electrons are crushed together → neutron →neutron star (few km across)
→ if enough mass, collapsing nuclei will form a black hole
→ strong gravity that nothing nearby, not even light, can escape Brightness of stars and absolute magnitude Absolute magnitude → how bright the star would appear at a standard distance → 32.6 light years or 10 parsecs → higher value = less bright → as absolute magnitude ↓, the luminosity ↑ Luminosity can be determined by size and f Hertzsprung-Russell diagram Hertzsprung-Russell diagram Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
The Sun’s evolutionary path
The evolution of the Universe The Steady State Theory
The Steady State theory, developed by the cosmologist Fred Hoyle,
the universe had always existed in a similar state to the way it appears nowadays.
Although stars and galaxies are born, evolve and die,
→ the average numbers of each has always remained the same.
The average numbers of galaxies in our universe is the same
→ no matter which direction we look from the Earth and → suggesting that this symmetry extended to time itself → our universe had no beginning and would have no end. The evolution of the Universe The Big Bang Theory
Current understanding of the beginning of the Universe
→ Big Bang, about 13.8 billion years ago
→ cause of explosion is still disputed →resulted high energetic particles and ! rays → cooled to produce proton, neutrons and electrons The evolution of the Universe The Big Bang Theory
The first 30 minutes
Temp from the Big Bang would have cooled to around 108 K → some nuclear fusion would have occurred →producing deuterium and helium nuclei
Temp would be too high for any electrons to orbit nuclei
→no atoms would have formed →most mass would still be in the form of protons The evolution of the Universe The Big Bang Theory
The first billion years
Universe continued to expand
→ which would have cooled the matter down to a point →atoms could form, after ~ 70 000 years. → H2 and He as no more fusion could have happened at first. Gravity →caused atoms to be attracted →formed clouds or nebulae, made more fusion possible → stars and galaxies developed The evolution of the Universe The Big Bang Theory
One billion years to now
Most distant objects in the Universe
→ Galaxies → formed a few billion years after the Big Bang → Sun, is relatively young, formed more than 9 billion years after the Big Bang
Stars would have lived and died
→ making heavier elements during fusion and supernova explosion → produced new stars and planets Big Bang Theory Cosmic microwave background radiation
Telescope detected EM signal (1mm)
→ microwave band → corresponds to background temperature 2.7 K → matches temp predicted for a Universe that has expanded and cooled Big Bang Theory Red shift
Doppler effect → wave source moving towards or away from observer, detected ! will be different to the emitted !
Vis. Light moves towards the red end of the spectrum
→ red-shifted
If source moving towards observer, ! ↓
→ blue-shift Big Bang Theory Red shift
When EM signals from distant galaxies are detected, the positions of these gaps in the spectrum are different.
1. Galaxies must be moving away from us, as EM waves are red-shifted
2. The further away the galaxy, the faster it is moving,
as red-shift is larger
3. Galaxies are moving away from us in all directions,
because this effect is consistent no matter which galaxies are examined. Big Bang Theory Summary
if the two are approaching, then the frequency heard by the observer is higher;
if they move away from each other, the frequency heard is lower. Big Bang Theory Summary Big Bang Theory Summary
A convenient analogy for the expansion of the Universe is a loaf of unbaked raisin bread. The raisins are at rest relative to one another in the dough before it is placed in the oven. As the bread rises, it also expands, making the space between the raisins increase. If the raisins could see, they would observe that all the other raisins were moving away from them although they themselves were stationary within the loaf. Only the dough - their 'Universe' - is expanding. Big Bang Theory Speed and distance of galaxies
Comparing the amount of red-shift with the reference or emitted ! allows the velocity of the galaxy to be calculated Big Bang Theory Speed and distance of galaxies
Comparing the amount of red-shift with the reference or emitted ! allows the velocity of the galaxy to be calculated
