Author Question: What is Olbers' paradox, and what is its resolution? What will be an ideal ... (Read 69 times)

jayhills49

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 559
What is Olbers' paradox, and what is its resolution?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

You have observed the wobble in the velocity curves of two otherwise identical stars. Star A has a period of 6 months and Star B has a period of 1 year. What can you say about these stars?
 
  A) It is impossible to say anything about the planets orbiting these stars.
  B) Star B must have a planet like Earth.
  C) Star A's planet must be closer than Star B's planet.
  D) Star A's planet is more massive than Star B's planet.



SomethingSomething

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 323
Answer to Question 1

If the universe were infinite and unchanging, the night sky should be as bright as the Sun because every line of sight should eventually end up looking at the surface of a star somewhere, and the total of all this light would make for a uniformly bright sky. Yet clearly it becomes dark when the Sun sets and that is the paradox. The resolution to this is for the universe to be either finite or changing. In particular, if the universe had a beginning, we would only be able to see a finite number of starsthose that lie within our cosmological horizonand thus we can have a dark night sky.

Answer to Question 2

C



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

Pope Sylvester II tried to introduce Arabic numbers into Europe between the years 999 and 1003, but their use did not catch on for a few more centuries, and Roman numerals continued to be the primary number system.

Did you know?

Long-term mental and physical effects from substance abuse include: paranoia, psychosis, immune deficiencies, and organ damage.

Did you know?

Computer programs are available that crosscheck a new drug's possible trade name with all other trade names currently available. These programs detect dangerous similarities between names and alert the manufacturer of the drug.

Did you know?

If you could remove all of your skin, it would weigh up to 5 pounds.

Did you know?

The Romans did not use numerals to indicate fractions but instead used words to indicate parts of a whole.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library