PHYS 2410 General Astronomy Mid-term

1. 浪漫的文學作品常喜歡引用天文的比喻。例如電影「海角七號」裡中的一封
情書寫著:
“你知道我們現在所看到的星光
是自幾億光年遠的星球上
所發射過來的嗎？
哇，幾億光年發射出來的光
我們現在才看到…”

由普通天文學的知識可知此文作者用的是"誇飾法"。 一般人的眼睛可看到最暗
的星為 6 等星, 而最亮的星星 (Supergiants) 的絕對星等為 -5 等。 請計算
肉眼可見最遠的星星的距離。

Ans:
考試重點: apparent magnitude, absolute magnitude, distance modulus

The distance to a star can be calculated with Distance Modulus:

mV –MV = -5 + 5 log10(d [pc])
The faintest star can be seen with naked eyes has apparent magnitude mV = 6 mag
and the brightest stars have absolute magnitude MV = -5 mag, therefore the distance
to the brightest stars can been by human is

d = 10(mV –MV + 5)/5 pc = 1016/5 pc

= 1585 pc
= 5167 light years

(write down distance modulus: 5%, give correct answer in pc or in light year: 5%)
2. 此圖為電影「楚門的世界」的劇照。導演缺乏天文知
識以至於日月的相對關係有誤。假設太陽跟月亮在天
空上的位置正確，(1) 請描繪楚門應該看到的月相的
及方位, 並估計當日大約為農曆幾號。 (2) 假設你
此刻在地球北極的上空，請描繪在太空中看到日月與地球的相對位置。

Ans:
考試重點: the phases of the moon

From the slides for Chapter 3, we can see that the phase of the moon is waxing
crescent at sunset if the angular distance between the Sun and the Moon is less ~
30—60 degrees. Therefore,

(1) The phase of the moon is

(2%)
The direction of the shaded area (方位) is toward upper-left, since the light from the
Moon is merely the reflection of the sunlight. (1%)
On the lunar calendar, this day would be 3rd—5th day of the month. (2%)

(2) The relative position of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth viewing from the north
pole is
Moon Sun

(5%)
Earth
3. This picture is taken by Hubble Space Telescope.
Hubble Space Telescope monitored Jupiter and found
the intensity of the north and south poles suddenly
increased. State what caused this phenomenon.

Ans:
考試重點: the formation of aurora (solar wind + magnetic fields)

Like the aurora (極光) seen around the north and south poles of the Earth, the
sudden increase of the intensity at the poles of the Jupiter is caused by the energetic
particles of the solar wind hitting the magnetic fields of the Jupiter.

(solar wind: 5%, magnetic field of Jupiter: 5%)

4. A star is seen during solar eclipse at a position 1 degree away from the Sun. Is the
real distance between the star and the Sun greater or smaller than 1 degree? Use
General Relativity to explain this phenomenon.

Ans:
考試重點: general relativity: equivalent principle

Due to the equivalent principle, the light from the distant star experience the
gravitational force from the sun, therefore the light is bended toward the observers
on the Earth and apparent position of the star is shifted away from the Sun.

(smaller than 1 deg: 5%, explanation: 5%)

5. The black line in the right figure is the spectra of galaxy NGC3512. If NGC 3512
is located behind the molecular core B68 on the left figure, would the observed
spectra look like the red, blue, or green spectra? Explain how you reach your
conclusion.

Ans:
考試重點: interstellar dust, interstellar reddening

The Interstellar dust absorbs light more strongly at shorter wavelengths, therefore
the flux of light will reduce more at 3500 Å than at 6500Å; i.e.,

F3500Å,
obs
erv
ed F6500Å,
obs
erv
ed
F3500Å,
ori
gina
l F6500Å,
ori
gina
l

If NGC3512 is located behind the molecular core B68 and the original spectra is the
black spectra, the green spectra is more likely to be the observed spectra.

(green spectra: 5%, explanation: 5%)

6. Two spectrum (A and B) were observed toward
the nebula in the left figure. One is observed
toward a background star in the nebula and the
other is observed toward a region without stars.
Identify the origin of these two spectrum and
explain how you reach your conclusion.

Ans:
考試重點: emission spectrum, absorption spectrum

A: observed toward a region without stars (Emission spectrum)

B: observed toward a background star (Absorption spectrum)

A low-density gas excited to emit light will do so at specific wavelengths and thus
produce an emission spectrum. If light comprising a continuous spectrum (such as
the blackbody emission from the star) passes through a cool, low-density gas (the
nebula), the light will be absorbed and re-emitted by the nebula. However, only
part of the absorbed light will be emitted toward the original direction, such
processes result in an absorption spectrum.

(correct answers for A and B: 5%, explanation: 5%)

7. A hot disk was observed in Hαline. The disk
is rotating around the central star. What are
the factors affecting the shape of the spectral
line? Draw the expected line shape of the
observed Hαspectra.

Ans:
考試重點: line broadening (Dopplar broadening): thermal broadening, velocity
broadening

Two factors can affect the shape of the spectral lines

a. The temperature of the disk: Increasing the temperature will increase the
random velocity of the gas in the disk, therefore the line will be broader (because
the high velocity gas will emit light at lower or higher frequency, when the gas is
moving away or toward the observer –the Doppler effect).

b. The rotating velocity of the disk: the systematic velocity of the disk will further
broaden the line width due to the Doppler effect. If there is a hole in the center
so that the velocity field does not change continuously across the disk, the line
could become double peaked.

Line profile:

(temperature: 4%, rotating velocity: 3%, draw one of the possible line profile: 3%)
8. A binary system is located at 100 pc from us. The distance between the two
stars in the binary is 10 AU. What is angular resolution needed to resolve this
system? In order to achieve this resolution, what is the diameter of the
telescope we need at optical (500nm) and radio (5cm) wavelengths? [ Angular
Resolution =1.22 λ /D and the unit is radian. 1 radian = 180/πdegree. π～
3.1416]

Ans:
考試重點: angular resolution, definition of parsec (pc)

d = 1 pc

A=1 AU

When =1 arcsec and A=1AU, the distance d is defined to be 1 parsec (pc). Therefore,
for a distant binary at 100 pc with separation (A) of 10 AU, the angular separation 
would be 1*10/100=0.1 arcsec.

0.1 arcsec = 0.1/3600 deg = (0.1/3600)* (π/180 ) radian ~ 5×10-7 radian

To achieve resolution of 5×10-7 radian, the diameter of the telescope D should be

greater than

D > 1.22 * (500×10-9 m)/( 5×10-7 radian) = 1.22 m for optical telescopes

And

D > 1.22 * (5×10-2 m)/( 5×10-7 radian) = 122000 m=122km for radio telescopes

(angular resolution: 5%, diameter of the telescopes: optical 2.5%, radio 2.5%)
9. (1) Draw where is the Sun located on the H-R
H
diagram (You must label the coordinates of the
diagram), and (2)) draw roughly where is the Sun
located before it is born.

Ans:
考試重點: H-R
R diagram, properties of the Sun, star formation

1 L⊙ Before
efore the Sun is born

5800 K or G type

(location of the sun: on main sequence: 2%, x axis: 2%, y axis: 2 %; location of the sun
before it is born: 4%)
10. Explain why the moon rotating the Earth and an apple falling on the ground are
both governed by the same law.

Ans:
考試重點: The Universal law of Gravity

Any two bodies are attracting each other through gravitation, with a force
proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square
of their distance. So the Moon and the Earth has mutual gravitational attraction, so
does the apple and the Earth. This law is Newton’ s universal law of gravity. The
reason that keeps the Moon from falling on the Earth like the apple is that the Moon
has a large enough initial speed so that when the Moon “ falls”toward the Earth, it
actually rotate the Earth.