Exam 10: The Interstellar Medium

arrow
  • Select Tags
search iconSearch Question
flashcardsStudy Flashcards
  • Select Tags

H II emission nebula regions are found around _____________.

Free
(Short Answer)
4.7/5
(48)
Correct Answer:
Verified

high temperature stars,giant molecular cloud

Coronal gas emits x-rays and has temperatures of ____.

Free
(Multiple Choice)
4.9/5
(44)
Correct Answer:
Verified

A

Why doesn't warm, dense hydrogen emit 21-cm radiation?

Free
(Essay)
4.8/5
(30)
Correct Answer:
Verified

The 21-cm radiation is another example of a forbidden line, which is an emission line from cold, neutral hydrogen gas in the interstellar medium. A hydrogen atom consists of one proton and one electron.  The ground state has two energy levels, leaving two ways for the electron to spin.  If the electron is spinning one way, it can flip over and spin the other way, releasing excess energy as a photon with a wavelength of 21 cm.
That transition is statistically very unlikely, and it isn't detected in laboratories on Earth because the gas is too dense and warm, and the atoms collide too often.  In space, however, hydrogen atoms collide only rarely, and hydrogen atoms can go undisturbed for millions of years, allowing them to produce the 21-cm emission line.

The interstellar reddening does not shift the _______________ of spectral lines, as does the Doppler effect.

(Short Answer)
4.9/5
(38)

The _______________ is a high temperature, low density region in the interstellar medium around the Sun.

(Short Answer)
4.9/5
(33)

Describe three ways in which astronomers can distinguish between interstellar absorption lines and stellar absorption lines.

(Essay)
4.8/5
(46)

Briefly discuss the gas-stars-gas cycle.

(Essay)
4.7/5
(29)

The ground state of hydrogen has two closely-spaced energy levels, where one-electron is spinning up and the other is spinning down. This energy transition corresponds to releasing excess energy as a photon at what wavelength?

(Multiple Choice)
4.9/5
(42)

Because blue light has a shorter wavelength than red light, it will be more readily scattered.

(True/False)
4.7/5
(31)

Coronal gas radiates energy at ______________ wavelengths.

(Short Answer)
4.9/5
(34)

_______________ is believed to be produced by supernova explosions.

(Short Answer)
4.9/5
(41)

The coronal gas in the interstellar medium has very high temperatures similar to the Sun's corona.

(True/False)
4.8/5
(36)
Match the four components of the interstellar medium (ISM) with their respective description. You may use the choices more than once.
The part of the ISM that can only be detected with X-ray telescopes have has temperatures of 10 6 K or higher
H I cloud
The coolest temperature
Molecular clouds
ISM clouds of cool gas of only about 100 K and dust with densities ranging up to 100 atoms per cubic centimeter and observed only at infrared and radio wavelengths
Intercloud medium
Correct Answer:
Verified
Premises:
Responses:
The part of the ISM that can only be detected with X-ray telescopes have has temperatures of 10 6 K or higher
H I cloud
The coolest temperature
Molecular clouds
ISM clouds of cool gas of only about 100 K and dust with densities ranging up to 100 atoms per cubic centimeter and observed only at infrared and radio wavelengths
Intercloud medium
The hot space of ISMs with temperatures of a few thousand K and a density of only 0.1 atom per cubic centimeter found between the cool H I clouds
Coronal gas
(Matching)
4.9/5
(41)

What is the most abundant element in the interstellar medium?

(Multiple Choice)
4.7/5
(39)

Which type of nebula is produced when a star, hotter than 25,000 K, excites the gas near it to produce an emission spectrum producing a distinctive pink color?

(Multiple Choice)
4.9/5
(38)

What are "forbidden lines"? Briefly describe how they form.

(Essay)
4.8/5
(36)

Which molecule has not been detected in molecular clouds?

(Multiple Choice)
4.9/5
(40)

Elements such as carbon, silicon and oxygen have been produced in stars and expelled as stars age in the interstellar medium. This is most likely due to these elements having cooled and condensed from aging stars to form dust grains, and carried out by a powerful winds.

(True/False)
4.9/5
(40)

Molecules in the interstellar medium emit radiation at what wavelengths?

(Multiple Choice)
4.9/5
(35)

Stars are born in reflection nebulae.

(True/False)
4.9/5
(40)
Showing 1 - 20 of 56
close modal

Filters

  • Essay(0)
  • Multiple Choice(0)
  • Short Answer(0)
  • True False(0)
  • Matching(0)