Question 8 Quasars can be 1000 times more
luminous than an entire galaxy.
The absolute magnitude of such a luminous quasar would be about M = -28.5. If the black hole in the center of
our galaxy became a quasar,
and obscuring gas and dust did not dim it, what would the apparent magnitude of the galactic core be? Think
about the answer and what
that would look like in the sky.
a.-13.9 b.19 c.0 d.-4.6 e.8.5
Distance equation: m M = -5 + 5logd where d is in
parsecs
So, we can plug in M and distance: m (-28.5) = -5 + 5log8500
m = -28.5 -5 + 5x(3.93) = -33.5 + 19.6 = -13.9
Thats about the same magnitude as the FULL MOON!
Question 9 If we take a spectrum of a
quasar and see that the Lyman alpha
line, observed in the laboratory at a wavelength of 121.6 nm, appears at a wavelength of 425.6 nm, what is the redshift of
this quasar?
a.0.5 b.1
c.1.5 d.2 e.2.5