Assignment 8

Chapters 14 &15
Thomas Edison State College

Introductory Astronomy
AST-101-GS002
Semester - October 2013

1.)Our galaxy is not a radio galaxy, but it does emit radio energy.
Explain where this radio energy comes from.
The radio energy our galaxy emits comes from the black hole located in the
center of our galaxy. Astronomers have observed radio and infrared energy from the
gas and dust which heated to millions of degrees while falling into the black hole
near Sagittarius A in the center of our galaxy. Black holes are known to emit radio
energy and even though our galaxy may not be a radio galaxy it still emits radio
energy because of our black hole.
2.)What observational evidence do we have that quasars are the
centers of very distant galaxies?
The observational evidence that we have that quasars are at the centers of
very distant galaxies are the photos taken by telescopes. Both telescopes in space
and on Earth have revealed that these quasars are surrounded by hazy features
whose spectrums resemble normal galaxies. Also radio telescopes have revealed
that some of the quasars are emitting radio energy. With this evidence astronomers
have discovered that quasars are at the center of active galaxies.
3.)Explain the Big Bang Theory and discuss why modifications to the
theory as originally stated were eventually accepted?
The Big Bang Theory is the explanation on how the universe was created.
This theory starts off with our entire universe being a tiny (size of an atom), super
dense, hot mass and then exploding and expanding very rapidly, eventually forming
the stars and the galaxies. This massive explosion caused the universe to cool and
continue to expand.

4.)Briefly relate several possible courses for the future of the universe
and the kinds of observation that would be necessary to resolve the
issue.
A possible course for the future of the universe is it could expand forever. The
expansion of the universe depends on dark energy. If dark energy is described by
the cosmological constant the universe would continue to expand and galaxies
would get further and further away, using their gas and dust they would make stars
and those stars would just die out and eventually the universe would die out.
Another possible course for the future of the universe is the big rip. In the big rip if
dark energy is described by quintessence, the force may be increasing with time.
When the force increases with time the universe could continue to accelerate and
space would pull the galaxies away from each other. This would eventually pull the
galaxies apart then pull the stars apart which results in eventually the atoms being
pulled apart.

References
Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 10th ed., by Michael A. Seeds (Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning, 2008).
The Big Bang Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.crystalinks.com/bigbang.html

Final Project

Voyager Space Exploration Outline

I. Reason for exploration:
The Voyagers were to conduct close up studies of Jupiter and Saturn, Saturn's
rings, and the larger moons of the two planets.
II. What is the Voyager?
- Explanation of the voyager 1 and 2
- The construction of the voyager
- What was it supposed to do in comparison to what it is doing?
III. History of Voyager:
- Year of the launch
- When did the first photos come in?
- Was the voyager successful early on?
IV. The Voyager here and Now
- Where the voyager is now?
- What is it doing?
- Where is it thought to end up?
- Answers to the question are we there yet?
- How much longer does NASA predict it will last?
V. Conclusion
- Summary of important information