Astronomy Stack Exchange
Astronomy Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
13
votes
2 answers

Do all galaxies have a black hole in the center?

Would I be correct if I stated that all galaxies have a black hole in the center? Since other galaxies orbit around a center point in a galaxy - the barycenter, right? - I would assume at this point there must be some insane gravitational pull.…
FutureCake
  • 271
  • 2
  • 6
13
votes
2 answers

What is the current theory for the formation of the Earth's Moon?

Given that the Earth and Moon are often said in the literature to have very similar geochemistry, what is the current theory as to how the Earth's Moon formed?
user8
13
votes
2 answers

Why would the Perseids meteor rate fall off after maximum faster than the increase before maximum?

Writing about the 2018 occurrence of the annual Perseids meteor shower, the EarthSky.org Astronomy Essentials article Start watching for Perseids now says: People tend to focus on the peak mornings of the shower and that’s entirely appropriate. But…
uhoh
  • 31,151
  • 9
  • 89
  • 293
13
votes
3 answers

Fate of Jupiter when our sun dies

Five billion years from now, the sun will have grown into a red giant star, more than a hundred times larger than its current size. While this metamorphosis into the giant star will change the solar system, scientists are unsure what will happen…
Paran
  • 904
  • 2
  • 10
  • 22
13
votes
3 answers

Is the curvature of Mars visible from the top of Olympus Mons?

Would you be able to see the curvature of Mars from the top of Olympus Mons? And how much curvature would you see if it was visible, would it be only barely detectable, or would you see a lot of curvature? Olympus Mons is 25km high and the tallest…
Jimmery
  • 289
  • 2
  • 6
13
votes
5 answers

Is there a possibility that a white dwarf can turn into a neutron star or a black hole?

I know that a white dwarf is supported mainly by electron degeneracy pressure and that if it gains more than about 1.4 solar masses from any source (such as a companion star or a collision), it explodes as a type Ia supernova. But is there any…
Baalateja Kataru
  • 251
  • 2
  • 5
13
votes
2 answers

How do stellar temperatures vary?

The temperature of the surface of the Sun (photosphere) is between 4500° - 6000° Kelvin. Inside the core, it's around 15.7 million degrees Kelvin. In other types of stars (neutron stars, white dwarves, etc.), what is the temperature of these areas…
Zoltán Schmidt
  • 2,278
  • 2
  • 17
  • 29
13
votes
2 answers

What star is directly north of the suns north pole?

If Polaris is Earth's North Star as it is directly pointed at by our North pole, what would be the North Star of the Sun?
zander
  • 263
  • 1
  • 6
13
votes
8 answers

Explain to a 4-year old why people below the equator are not tilted or suspended upside down

So I just bought a globe for my extremely inquisitive soon to be 4-year old son. He knows the very basics of the solar system and knows that we live on planet Earth and also knows the concept of gravity. While i was explaining to him what the…
Hanky Panky
  • 233
  • 1
  • 6
13
votes
1 answer

Do other G-type stars follow an 11-year cycle of activity?

Our Sun follows an 11-year cycle of low-to-high activity. During high activity, there are much more sunspots and much higher chance of flares and other disruptive behavior. Can we observe the activity of other stars? I'm particularly interested in…
DrZ214
  • 1,960
  • 12
  • 28
13
votes
1 answer

What is the relevance of the Tropics and the Polar Circles? Do they Exist on other planets?

The middle line is the equator, the second and fourth line are the tropics, the first and fifth are the polar circles. What is the relevance of these bands on Earth? Do these exist on other planets? What purpose do they serve?
user96
13
votes
1 answer

Layout of the universe

I've been working on a space game in my spare time, and lately I've been thinking on how to lay out the universe. Though I've searched around and found it hard to get a good view of what the universe looks like. I did find a lot of good sources,…
The Oddler
  • 231
  • 1
  • 5
13
votes
4 answers

Do comets contain any significant amounts of iridium?

I have Googled "iridium content of comets" and can't find anything that suggests comets contain iridium in any detectable quantities. Yet, whenever I read an article about the Chicxulub impactor, the article invariably says something to the effect…
BillDOe
  • 1,371
  • 7
  • 16
13
votes
2 answers

Can a bullet be fired on the moon and sent it into orbit?

I know you need oxygen for the ignition, but presumably, if the bullet is impervious (or water-tight) and if there is a little air enclosed in the bullet case, wouldn't that be sufficient to fire it ? And, giving the speed, would that be enough/too…
ZakC
  • 273
  • 2
  • 6
13
votes
4 answers

Will Sirius B start accreting from A and become a supernova type Ia?

Sirius B is a massive white dwarf of 1 Solar mass, orbiting at about 25 AU distance from the 2 Solar mass Sirius A. As it evolves and expands, will the A star start shedding matter to the white dwarf, and when will this start happening? Will the Sun…
LocalFluff
  • 11,383
  • 4
  • 31
  • 73
1 2 3
…
99 100