Imagine you are observing light from a distant galaxy 100 million light years away from you. By analysis of the starlight received, you are able to tell that the image we see is of a 10 million year old star. You are also able to predict that the star will have a total lifetime of 50 million years, at which point it will end in a catastrophic supernova.How much longer will it be before we receive the light from the supernova event?
Question
Imagine you are observing light from a distant galaxy 100 million light years away from you. By analysis of the starlight received, you are able to tell that the image we see is of a 10 million year old star. You are also able to predict that the star will have a total lifetime of 50 million years, at which point it will end in a catastrophic supernova.How much longer will it be before we receive the light from the supernova event?
Solution
To answer this question, we need to consider the distance of the galaxy and the age of the star.
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The light we are seeing from the star is 100 million years old because it has taken that long to reach us due to the distance of the galaxy.
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The starlight we are currently observing is from when the star was 10 million years old.
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This means that the star actually went supernova 40 million years ago (50 million years - 10 million years = 40 million years).
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However, because of the distance of the galaxy, the light from the supernova will take 100 million years to reach us.
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Since the star went supernova 40 million years ago, we will have to wait another 60 million years to observe the light from the supernova (100 million years - 40 million years = 60 million years).
So, it will be 60 million years before we receive the light from the supernova event.
Similar Questions
On February 24, 1987, Chilean astronomers detected an extremely bright light, which they identified as a supernova (the explosion of a massive star) occurring 168 thousand light years from Earth. It began to dim over the next few ______ although they are extremely powerful, supernovas are short-lived phenomena.21 Mark For ReviewWhich choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?A) weeks. However,B) weeks, however,C) weeks; however,D) weeks, however;
adapted from What Is a Supernova? by NASA A supernova is the explosion of a star. It is the largest explosion that takes place in space. Where Do Supernovas Take Place? Supernovas are often seen in other galaxies, but are difficult to see in our own Milky Way galaxy because dust blocks our view. In 1604, Johannes Kepler discovered the last observed supernova in the Milky Way. NASA's Chandra telescope discovered the remains of a more recent supernova. It exploded in the Milky Way more than a hundred years ago. What Causes a Supernova? A supernova happens where there is a change in the core, or center, of a star. A change can occur in two different ways, with both resulting in a supernova. The first type of supernova happens in binary star systems, which are systems where two stars orbit the same point. One of the stars, a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, steals matter from its companion star. Eventually, the white dwarf accumulates too much matter. Having too much matter causes the star to explode, resulting in a supernova. The second type of supernova occurs at the end of a single star's lifetime. As the star runs out of nuclear fuel, some of its mass flows into its core. Eventually, the core is so heavy that it cannot withstand its own gravitational force and the core collapses, resulting in the giant explosion of a supernova. The sun is a single star, but it does not have enough mass to become a supernova. Why Do Scientists Study Supernovas? A supernova burns for only a short period of time, but it can tell scientists a lot about the universe. One kind of supernova has shown scientists that we live in an expanding universe, one that is growing at an ever increasing rate. Scientists also have determined that supernovas play a key role in distributing elements throughout the universe. When the star explodes, it shoots elements and debris into space. Many of the elements we find here on Earth are made in the core of stars. These elements travel on to form new stars, planets and everything else in the universe. How Do NASA Scientists Look for Supernovas? NASA scientists use different types of telescopes to look for and study supernovas. Some telescopes are used to observe the visible light from the explosion and others record data from the X-rays and gamma rays that are also produced. Both NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have captured images of supernovas. 1 Read the sentences from the passage. "Scientists also have determined that supernovas play a key role in distributing elements throughout the universe. When the star explodes, it shoots elements and debris into space." Which phrase from the sentences provides the best clue about the meaning of the word debris? A. "have determined" B. "distributing elements" C. "into space" D. "star explodes"
A star has a parallax of .05", its distance is Group of answer choices5 light years.20 parsecs.200 parsecs.660 light years.
What made supernova 1987A so useful?Group of answer choicesThe Hubble Space Telescope was available for high resolution images.As it was in the Large Magellanic Cloud, we knew it was 170,000 ly distant.Its parent star had been studied previously.It was spotted while still on the rise, and its light curve is well established.All of the above are true.
Approximately how long does the protostar phase last?*1 point1000's of years1,000,000's of years1,000,000,000's of years
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