the nature of the nebulae - stony brook university · the nature of the nebulae • 1912-1915:...
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AST101
The Nature of the Nebulae
Tuning Fork Diagram
Nebulae
The Nature of the Nebulae • 1912-1915: Vesto Slipher obtains spectra of spiral
nebulae. Spectra are continuous, not emission line spectra.
• Slipher shows spectra are redshifted to 1000 km/s, unlike anything else in Milky Way.
• 1916-1923: Adriaan van Maanen claims to detect proper motions in M101 and 6 other spirals. Conclusion: they must be close.
• The 1920 debate at the National Academy of Sciences.
Spectra of Nebulae
• Gaseous nebula (Orion nebula)
• Spiral galaxy (M 83)
The Great Debate
Harlow Shapley Large Galaxy Spirals: Gaseous nebulae
Heber D Curtis Small Galaxy Spirals: “Island Universes”
http://apod.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/debate20.html
Size of the Galaxy
Distance scale • Trigonometric Parallax
(to 300 ly) • Spectroscopic Parallax
– Based on brightness of main sequence
– Based on brightness of tip of giant branch
Shapley’s Argument Spirals are nearby: • Van Maanen’s proper motions in M101
– Shown to be erroneous • S Andromedae like Nova Persei 1901
– S And is a supernova, unrecognized in 1920 Spirals are gaseous: • Bluer than Milky Way
– We see redder bulge of spiral galaxies Spirals avoid plane of Milky Way • Suggests influence High Recessional Velocities • Suggests influence
Curtis’ Argument
Star counts require small Galaxy • Radius ~ 30,000 ly
Globular cluster stars are dwarfs The brightest are giants
S And unlike N Per 1901 Colors of galaxies look like stars
The Effect of Dust
Dust • Reddens light • Absorbs light, and makes things appear
further away than they really are
The existence of dust was unknown in 1920
Standard Candles In 1908, Henrietta Swan Leavitt noted a correlation between brightness and period in certain variable stars in the LMC. These are the Cepheids
Cepheids • Yellow Supergiants • Luminous: observable at
great distances • Pulsationally unstable,
Period ~ 1/density • Named after δ Cephei
Other Standard Candles
• Planetary Nebulae – All have similar surface
brightnesses • Tully Fisher Relation
– If all spiral galaxies are similar, L~V4
• Type Ia supernovae – All have same peak
luminosity
Hubble Law
Hubble, The Realm of the Nebulae, 1935
Hubble Law
Hubble Law
Hubble Law
V = H0 d
H0 = 73.8 ± 2.5 km/s/Mpc
Recessional velocities of galaxies (redshifts) are the ultimate distance indicator.