astrophysics

MOTION IN THE UNIVERSE

universe = large collection of billions of galaxies

galaxy= large collections of billions of stars

solar system = collection of planets orbiting a common star

gravitational field strength = weight/ mass

moons orbit planets

slightly elliptical with near constant orbital speed

planets and comets orbit the sun

slightly elliptical with near constant orbital speed . comets are highly
elliptical

the greater the orbital radius or the smaller the time period the greater the orbital
speed

comets have a greater speed neared the star because gravity pulls them

STELLAR EVOLUTION

1. nebula

a. a star begins as clouds and dust that clump together due to gravity

2. main sequence star

a. they continue to clump together until the pressure and gravity is great
enough for fusion to occur from hydrogen → helium

3. hydrogen used up and star collapses becoming unstable

a. smaller stars become a red giant and then a white dwarf

b. larger stars become a red super giant before exploding in a supernova .

what remains is a neutron star or a black hole

hotter brighter stars are blue and cooler star are redder

astrophysics 1
 a stars brightness :

can be measured using absolute magnitude is the apparent magnitude a star

would have if it were viewed form exactly 10 parsecs away

the apparent magnitude is how bright it appears at a particular pointing space

Hertzsprung-Russel diagram shows the relationship between a stars surface

temperature and brightness

astrophysics 2
 COSMOLOGY

big bang theory states the universe expands outwards from a single point
red shift →

shows that galaxies are all moving away and that those which are furterst away
are moving the faster
CMBR→

short wavelength radiation stretched to become microwaves . the fact there is

cosmic background radiation provides evidence for the big bang

Doppler effect = if a source is moving relative to an observer there will be a

change in the observed frequency and wavelength

responsible for the red shift which woes when the wavelength of of light
increases. the faster it is moving the more its light is red shifted

astrophysics 3