QNS.

The amount of both visible and dark barionic matter in the Universe
can be estimated from the relative amount of deuterium and helium; but how can we measure how much deuterium and helium there is in the Universe? ANS.Each atom can be excited by heating the matter that contains it. An excited atom de-excites quickly, emitting photons of well-defined energy; these are seen as specific bright lines emitted (or absorbed) by each celestial body. Our sun emits (absorbs) a large quantity of bright lines: from the wavelength of the line we can establish which element has emitted it, and from the intensity of the line we can then deduce, for example, how many atoms of helium or deuterium are found in the outer parts of the sun. The measurements are made with very precise spectroscopes. It is worth remembering that helium was discovered by analysing solar light, before it was observed directly on earth. The same method can be used to estimate the amount of deuterium and helium in the stars. Helium and deuterium can also be found in masses of cosmic gas, but they can be seen only if there is a source to heat the said gas.

QNS.Why is it that a large cloud of hot gas in a mass of galaxies emits X-rays?

ANS.The dark matter made up of heavy particles present in the group of

galaxies heats the cloud, particularly free electrons; when these are subjected to accelerations they radiate X-rays. We do not observe directly the cloud of dark matter, but the effects on the electrons.

QNS.Given the percentages, indentify the regions. QNS.How to weigh a spiral galaxy:? Measure rotational velocity v of clouds orbiting a distance r Compute centripetal acceleration of clouds = v2/r Equate acceleration to gravitational pull of the matter M inside the orbit = GM/r2 (G is the universal gravitational constant) Solve the equation for M = rv2/G.

QNS.We can black out some of the timelines and ask the participants to fill them QNS.One of the most complicated and dramatic collisions between galaxy clusters ever seen is captured in this new composite image. This collision site, known officially as Abell 2744, has been dubbed( "Pandora's Cluster" )because of the wide variety of different structures seen. Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory are colored red, showing gas with temperatures of millions of degrees. In blue is a map showing the total mass concentration (mostly dark matter) based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), and the Japanese Subaru telescope. We can blank out Pandoras Cluster. QNS. What is an active galaxy? A galaxy with a somewhat less active supermassive black hole is called an Active Galaxy and its black hole is called an "Active Galactic Nucleus" or AGN. Our Milky Way

Galaxy and our neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, are examples of normal galaxies, where the supermassive black hole has very little gas to capture.

ACTIVE GALAXY

QNS.THE IMAGE ABOVE IS CALLED THE EYE OF SAURON(spiral galaxy NGC 4151, dubbed the "Eye of Sauron" by astronomers for its similarity to the eye of the malevolent character in "The Lord of the Rings") . WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE CENTER OF THE GALAXY?

ANS. A recent study has shown that the X-ray emission was likely caused by an outburst powered by the supermassive black hole located in the white region in the center of the galaxy. Evidence for this idea comes from the elongation of the X-rays running from the top left to the bottom right and details of the X-ray spectrum. There are also signs of interactions between a central source and the surrounding gas, particularly the yellow arc of H II emission located above and to the left of the black hole. QNS. Id. THE PHENOMENONNASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected signs of icy bodies raining down in an alien solar system. The downpour resembles our own solar system several billion years ago during a period known as the(ANS. "Late Heavy Bombardment,") which may have brought water and other life-forming ingredients to Earth. During the (Late Heavy Bombardment), comets and other frosty objects from the outer solar system pummeled the inner planets. The barrage scarred our Moon and produced large amounts of dust.

QNS. Are quasars related to pulsars? If so how?

A pulsar is a much smaller mass object, much smaller in radius and not a black hole, but a neutron star (it "failed" to become a black hole during its birth due to a supernova explosion of some single star). However, the neutron star is nearly as compact as a black hole of that star's mass. Magnetic fields near the blackhole and a pulsar may be similar in structure and have something to do with some energy output of each. QNS.WIDTH OF A QUASAR? ANS. A quasar is approximately 1 kiloparsec in width.

Abundance of Quasars in the Early Universe

Looking at large distances in the Universe is equivalent to looking back in time because of the finite speed of light. Thus, the observation of quasars at large distances and their scarcity nearby implies that they were much more common in the early Universe than they are now, as illustrated in the adjacent figure (see the Source for a further discussion of the figure). This is one piece of evidence that argues against the steady state theory of the Universe but would be consistent with the big bang theory. We shall discuss this further below.

QNS. Id THE OBSERVATORY: The Chandra X-ray Observatory is part of NASA's eet of "Great Observatories" along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitizer Space Telescope and the now deorbited Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Chandra allows scientists from around the world to obtain X-ray images of exotic environments to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. The Chandra X-ray Observatory program is managed by NASA's Marshall Center for the Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

QNS. WHAT WILL MAVEN DO? MAVEN: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN
Answers About Mars Climate History
o

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, scheduled for launch in late 2013, will be the first mission devoted to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.

The goal of MAVEN is to determine the role that loss of atmospheric gas to space played in changing the Martian climate through time. Where did the atmosphere and the water go?

MAVEN will determine how much of the Martian atmosphere has been lost over time by measuring the current rate of escape to space and gathering enough information about the relevant processes to allow extrapolation backward in time.

Qns. What are quasars? Ans. A Quasar is an enormously bright object at the edge of our universe with the appearance of a star when viewed through a telescope. It emits massive amounts of energy, more energy than 100 normal galaxies combined. The name comes from a shortening of quasi-stellar radio source (QSR). Current theories hold that quasars are one type of active galactic nuclei (AGN).

Qns. Give some recent missions 2010+

NASA

Voyager 2

Voyager 1 Hubble Space Telescope ACE Mars 2001 Odyssey High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager AQUA Rosetta MESSENGER SELENE LUNAR-A Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CloudSat New Horizons (PKB) Space Technology 5 Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Dawn Solar-B Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope Solar Dynamics Observatory Interstellar Boundary Explorer Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Science Laboratory Jupiter Polar Orbiter (Juno)

2010+ (Cont.)

NASA

BepiColombo Mars Scout 2 Mars Orbiter Mission Mars Sample Return Lander Mars Scout 3 Mars Astrobiology Field Lab Rover (AFL) Mars Planetary Evolution and Meteorology (Multi-Lander) Network Lunar South Polar Aiken Basin Sample Return Comet Surface Sample Return Venus In-Situ Explorer (VISE) Europa Geophysical Explorer Jupiter Flyby with Probes Venus Surface Explorer Titan Explorer with Orbiter

Neptune/Triton Orbiter Europa Astrobiology Lander