Hubble's Law, AST 102IN

Name: Gregory J. Lopeman

VI. Prelab

Definitions

1. parsec - A unit of astronomical length based on the distance from Earth at which stellar parallax is one
second of arc

2. megaparsec - One million parsecs.

3. redshift - a shift in the spectra of very distant galaxies toward longer wavelengths (toward the red end
of the spectrum); generally interpreted as evidence that the universe is expanding

4. Cepheid variable - Any of a class of intrinsically variable stars with exceptionally regular periods of
light pulsation.

5. Hubble's law - A law of cosmology stating that the rate at which astronomical objects in the universe
move apart from each other is proportional to their distance from each other.

6. Hubble's constant - A ratio expressing the rate of apparent expansion of the universe, equal to the
velocity at which a typical galaxy is receding from Earth divided by its distance from Earth.

7. lookback time – refers to the amount of time since the ligt we see from a distant object was emitted

8. quasar - An extremely distant, and thus old, celestial object whose power output is several thousand
times that of our entire galaxy.

9. gamma ray burster - Intense high-energy electromagnetic radiation, lasting between a fraction of a
second and several minutes, emanating from distant regions of the universe. Recent theory suggests
that they result from supernova explosions.

Questions

1. Why don't galaxies obey Hubble's law perfectly?

In reality, nearly all galaxies experience gravitational tugs from other galaxies, and these tugs alter their
speeds from the “ideal” values predicted by Hubble’s Law
2. What is the age of the universe if H0 is 50 km/s/Mpc? (Hint: see Theory and

Calculations section. Repeat steps 9 through 12 using 50 km/s/Mpc instead of 72.5

km/s/Mpc.) Show your work.

3. What is the age of the universe if H0 is 100 km/s Mpc? (H

Calculations section. Repeat steps 9 through 12 using 100

km/s/Mpc.) Show your work.

4. How many s are there in a yr? Show your work.