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Atomic physics plays a key role in astrophysics as astronomers' only information about a particular object comes through the light that it emits, and this light arises through atomic transitions. Molecular astrophysics , developed into a rigorous field of investigation by theoretical astrochemist Alexander Dalgarno beginning in 1967, concerns ...
Although the Sun is a star, its photosphere has a low enough temperature of 6,000 K (5,730 °C; 10,340 °F), and therefore molecules can form. Water has been found on the Sun, and there is evidence of H 2 in white dwarf stellar atmospheres.
Astrochemistry overlaps with astrophysics and nuclear physics in characterizing the nuclear reactions which occur in stars, as well as the structure of stellar interiors. If a star develops a largely convective envelope, dredge-up events can occur, bringing the products of nuclear burning to the surface.
The following tables list molecules that have been detected in the interstellar medium or circumstellar matter, grouped by the number of component atoms.Neutral molecules and their molecular ions are listed in separate columns; if there is no entry in the molecule column, only the ionized form has been detected.
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. [1] [2] As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the heavenly bodies, rather than their positions or motions in space—what they are, rather than where they are", [3] which is studied ...
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, temperature, chemical composition) of astronomical objects such as stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions.
Elephant trunks (more formally, cold molecular pillars [1]) are a type of interstellar matter formations found in molecular clouds. They are located in the neighborhood of massive O type and B type stars , which, through their intense radiation, can create expanding regions of ionized gas known as H II regions .
The X-factor in astrophysics, often labeled X CO, is an empirically determined proportionality constant which converts carbon monoxide (CO) emission line brightness to molecular hydrogen (H 2) mass. The term X-factor was coined in a 1983 paper titled "Gamma-rays from atomic and molecular gas in the first galactic quadrant" and published in The ...