Sumário
- Preface
1Science and the Universe: A Brief Tour
2Observing the Sky: The Birth of Astronomy
7Other Worlds: An Introduction to the Solar System
13Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System
14Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System
18The Stars: A Celestial Census
20Between the Stars: Gas and Dust in Space
21The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets outside the Solar System
27Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes
- AHow to Study for an Introductory Astronomy Class
- BAstronomy Websites, Images, and Apps
- CScientific Notation
- DUnits Used in Science
- ESome Useful Constants for Astronomy
- FPhysical and Orbital Data for the Planets
- GSelected Moons of the Planets
- HFuture Total Eclipses
- IThe Nearest Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and White Dwarfs
- JThe Brightest Twenty Stars
- KThe Chemical Elements
- LThe Constellations
- MStar Chart and Sky Event Resources
- Index
Review Questions
Review Questions
1.
Explain how parallax measurements can be used to determine distances to stars. Why can we not make accurate measurements of parallax beyond a certain distance?
2.
Suppose you have discovered a new cepheid variable star. What steps would you take to determine its distance?
3.
Explain how you would use the spectrum of a star to estimate its distance.
4.
Which method would you use to obtain the distance to each of the following?
- An asteroid crossing Earth’s orbit
- A star astronomers believe to be no more than 50 light-years from the Sun
- A tight group of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy that includes a significant number of variable stars
- A star that is not variable but for which you can obtain a clearly defined spectrum
5.
What are the luminosity class and spectral type of a star with an effective temperature of 5000 K and a luminosity of 100 LSun?