Unanswered Questions
161 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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How well conserved is etendue in extreme gravitational lensing scenarios?
This excellent answer to Could dark matter exist in the Universe in the form of sufficiently dense objects? includes the following image and description:
Light from the background galaxy circles a ...
8
votes
1
answer
623
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Why do the Sun and gas planets rotate faster at equator than at poles?
From this site, it states that:
The Sun spins faster at its equator than at its poles.
I have also read somewhere that the gas giants (gaseous planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) also ...
7
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0
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256
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Get the expression of probed volume between 2 redshifts
1) I can't manage to find/justify the relation (1) below, from the common relation (2) of a volume.
2) It seems the variable r is actually the comoving distance and not comoving coordinates (with ...
6
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0
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166
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Source of information on density profile of a red giant star?
Is there a good source of information of the expected density profile inside a red giant star?
I have read that when a star such as the sun has converted much or most of the hydrogen in its core into ...
6
votes
1
answer
510
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Could non-supernova carbon, oxygen, or silicon flashes be observed?
I was reading about the helium flash, the short but sudden onset of helium fusion in certain red giant stars. As I understand, the upper (nondegenerate) layers of the star absorb the energy as they ...
5
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Do all the accretion disks around a compact object (black hole or neutron star) emit astrophysical jet outflow?
Do all the accretion disks around a compact object (black hole or neutron star) emit astrophysical jet outflow? I mean is it mandatory for a jet to be emitted from an accretion disk?
If so, then why?
...
5
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0
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100
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How do the giant planets excite the orbits of asteroids?
The giant planets, particularly Jupiter, are notorious for bringing about changes in eccentricities and inclinations of smaller bodies(asteroids and KBOs). Jupiter, in fact, throws almost all the ...
5
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186
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What are some good books/online resources for astronomy problem sets?
I am currently studying for the international olympiad for astronomy and astrophysics (the syllabus can be found here: https://www.ioaastrophysics.org/syllabus/). I am currently using Carroll Ostlie's ...
5
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62
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Strength of core-envelope coupling in stars
For a star with a given Zero-Age Main Sequence (ZAMS) mass, as a function of metallicity how strongly is the star's core coupled to its envelope?
I understand that the core-envelope boundary is only (...
5
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0
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123
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How is the age of a star on the Henyey track calculated?
I was reading Stellar Evolution in Early Phases of Gravitational Contraction, by Chushiro Henyey, where he writes,
If $L \propto R^{-\alpha}$ along the path, the age of a star from the time when $R=...
4
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What are the odds of a planet with an eclipse every time the moon rotated around the planet?
If the orbital plane of a planet and its moon were sufficiently aligned, the moon could cause a solar eclipse every lunar month. What are the odds of that happening? To answer, I would guess that one ...
4
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Explanation for Planck 2018 temperature fluctuations strongest peaks
As it can be seen from Plank 2018 Cosmic Microwave Background temperature fluctuations data-
There are 3 sharp peaks at multipole expansions $\ell \approx 250, 550, 800 $. Also as multipole expansion ...
4
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0
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113
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How much more mass would Mars need to currently have enough pressure for liquid water and oxygen?
My question is whether Mars just about failed to meet the threshold or missed it by a lot. It's been dry for 3 billion years. How much bigger would it have needed to be to buy it that extra time? Let'...
4
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0
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From what distance could the Sun's planetary nebula be seen entirely with free eye?
When collapsing to a white dwarf, a red giant Sun would emit a planetary nebula. How far from the Sun would that nebula stretch at most?
Also: At about what distance could you see the planetary nebula ...
4
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Cosmology : Formula for the bias of galaxies
first I have posted originally on the physics stackexchange but I have not had answers about my question, so I try my luck on this specific forum (if forums leaders want to delete the original post on ...