HW #7 Solutions
• Question 7   (1 point) The location of the sun relative to the center of our galaxy was FIRST CORRECTLY determined by
 a.the relative brightness of the visible Milky Way in different directions.   b. the positions of the globular clusters and the properties of the variable stars in them.   c.the position of supernova.   d.radio maps of the galaxy.   
 
 Question 8  (1 point) Which of the following would you not expect to find in the Population II halo?
 a.B star   b.red dwarf   c.neutron star   d.white dwarf
•Because B stars must be young stars, and there is no new star formation in the halo.
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•Question 9   (1 point) The black hole in the center of our Milky Way galaxy seems to be about 2.6 million times the mass of the sun. What is the radius of its event horizon? Think about how big this is compared to other astronomical objects (e.g., Earth, the sun, the solar system, the distances between stars).
 a.About a billion km.   b.About 4 thousand km.   c.About 4 million km.   d.About 8 thousand km.   e. About 8 million km.
•Easy way.  1 solar mass Schwarzschild radius is 3km, so 3x2.6 million is 8 million km.
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• Question 10   (1 point) One fundamental requirement for an object to be a good tracer (i.e. marker) of the galaxy's spiral arms is that it be
 a.moving with small radial velocity (relative to earth).   b.moving with large radial velocity (relative to earth).   c. a short lived and therefore young object.   d. a very long lived and therefore probably old object.