Ph109 Lab 9
For the Abell cluster of galaxies z = 0.14, and for the Virgo cluster z = 0.004. What can be said about the relationship between distance and redshift from this small sample of redshifts?
Larger redshift values correspond to greater distance.
The location of the Milky Way galaxy is indicated. Extending outward in two directions from our Sun is an area called the Zone of Avoidance. This area does not appear to contain any galaxies. What might be the cause of this?
Our view along this plane is obscured by gas and dust within the Milky Way.
What type is the galaxy centered on the Main Window? (Use the diagram for Hubble's galaxy classification scheme to help you in answering this question.)
SB
The current Main Window view shows a gamma ray view of our galaxy. Locate our galaxy's "hot spot" in order to determine the location of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. In which constellation is the galactic core of the Milky Way located?
Sagittarius
The Solar System is embedded within the galaxy. Why does the Milky Way appear as a narrow band of light instead of appearing as faint but evenly distributed light across the entire sky?
The galaxy is flattened and we view it edge on, from its interior.
Carefully examine the shape of the spiral arms. In which direction do you think the galaxy is rotating?
The galaxy is rotating in a clockwise direction.
Which statement best describes the position of the Sun and Solar System within the Milky Way?
The Sun and Solar System are located about two thirds of the way from the center to the edge of the galaxy.
Which statement best describes the geometry of the solar system's location within the Milky Way galaxy?
The angle between the plane of the solar system and the galactic plane is large but less than a right angle.
Using the formula z=v/c, what is the redshift of the Virgo cluster of galaxies?
0.004
The Sun is moving with a velocity of about 220km/sec in its orbit about the galactic center. Using your answer from Question 2, what is the approximate time required for the Sun (and the entire Solar System) to complete one orbit of the galactic center?
230 million years
What is the calculated recessional velocity of the Abell cluster of galaxies?
42,000 km/sec
How far away are the galaxies of the Virgo cluster from the Milky Way?
60 million light years
Which particular feature of a spiral galaxy is evident, even from this interior view of the Milky Way?
A central bulge and dust lane.
Which galaxy in the local group appears to have a gravitational influence over its smaller neighbors similar to that of the Milky Way?
Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
What type of structure is highlighted in yellow in the main window?
filament
What kind of object does each dot on the Main Window represent?
galaxy
How would you describe the shape of the Large Magellanic Cloud?
irregular
Use Hubble's Law to calculate the recessional velocity of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. How fast are these galaxies receding away from us?
1240 km/sec
The Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant celestial object that can be seen with the unaided eye. How far away from the Milky Way is the Andromeda Galaxy located? Hint: Press the Info button in the selection label.
2.0 million light years
What is the general shape of the Milky Way galaxy?
a flattened disk in a spiral shape with a bulge in the center.
How does this elliptical galaxy differ in appearance from a spiral galaxy?
look up
The Milky Way appears to us as a patchy and irregular band across the sky. What accounts for this?
look up
What features do these visibly different spiral galaxies have in common?
look up
What is the most striking visual feature of this lenticular galaxy?
look up
