CHAPTER 11 STARS AND GALAXIES IN THE UNIVERSE
Learning Outcomes:
1. To learn about the stars and galaxies in the Universe
11.1 Stars and galaxies in the universe
1. Astronomy is a field that studies space matter, galaxies, stars and other objects in
outer space.
2. Besides stars and planets, other objects in the universe include comets, meteorites and
also asteroids.
3. The invention of telescopes has enabled scientists to investigate the objects in space in
great detail.
Galaxies
1. A galaxy is a collection of bodies made up of billions of stars, planets, dust and gases
held together by the gravitational force. It is said that approximately 10-20% of the
galaxy components are made up of space objects, stars and dust while 80-90% is
made up of dark matter.
2. Galaxies are classified based on their shapes. Generally, they are divided into three
shapes:
a. Elliptical galaxy
▪ Oval or round shaped, almost flat from the perspective of an
astronomer.
▪ Consists of old and dimmer yellow stars
▪ Lower in temperature
▪ Smaller than spiral and irregular galaxies
▪ Messier 87, Leo I in the Local Group, Ursa Major
b. Spiral galaxy
▪ Disc-shaped with spiral arms
▪ Made up of older stars in the middle and younger stars at the arms
▪ Brighter and larger than elliptical and irregular galaxies
▪ e.g. the Milky Way, Andromeda
c. Irregular galaxy
▪ No definite shape
▪ Consists of young stars with lot of gases and dust
▪ Larger than elliptical galaxies but smaller than spiral galaxies
▪ e.g. large Magellanic Cloud
The Milky Way
1. The Local Group is one of the billions of galaxy groups in the universe that contains
more than 50 galaxies. It has two large spiral galaxies – the Milky Way and the
Andromeda.
2. Our solar system is located at the edge of one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way,
called the Orion Arm.
3. The Sun takes about 225 million years to orbit the centre of the Milky Way. The
distance of the Sun from the centre of the galaxy is 30000 light years away.
Diagram 11.1 The position of the solar system in the Milky Way
Nebulae
1. A nebula is a cloud of dust, helium, hydrogen and plasmas in outer space. It comes in
a variety of sizes, shapes and colours.
2. Scientists believe that new stars are formed in the nebulae. They use the nebular
hypothesis to explain the formation and life cycle of stars, including the Sun.
The globe of gases
will contract and
The nebula collapses compress, becoming
The nebula continues
due to the strong force denser, hotter and will
to contract until it
of gravity until it swirl more rapidly
forms a protostar.
forms a globe. into a flat spinning
disc with a dense
bulge at the centre.
When the pressure
A lot of heat energy
and gravitational force
and light energy are
in the nucleus of
released from the
protostar reaches
core. As the core
equilibrium, the
begins to shine, a new
protostar turns into a
star is born.
main sequence star.
Diagram 11.2 The formation of a star according to nebular hypothesis
Life cycle of a star
1. Stars have a limited lifespan, depending on its size (the quantity of hydrogen in the
core of the star).
2. When a star dies, it will turn into one of the following forms, depending on its original
mass.
Diagram 11.3 Life cycle of a star
a. If the star is average in size, the red giant star would change into a white dwarf
star. After it cools down, a black dwarf star is formed.
b. If the star is large in size, the red giant star would expand to become a supergiant
star and then explode, which is known as supernova. This explosion produces a
lot of heat and light energy and can be seen during the day. This explosion
produces the neutron star.
c. If the star is super large in size, a supernova explosion would produce a hole
known as the black hole. A black hole is a region which has strong gravitational
attraction and sucks all matters into it including light.
Comparison of the relative sizes between the earth and the universe
The largest The smallest
The The Local The Milky Solar
Earth
universe Group Way system
Characteristics of stars
1. A star is a sphere in the outer space that can produce its own energy through nuclear
fusion. Hydrogen and helium are the two main elements that form a star.
2. Astronomers have classified the stars according to several characteristics:
a. Colour and temperature
The colour of a star depends on its temperature. The red coloured star
is the coldest while the hottest star is blue in colour.
Colour Temperature (K) Example
Red <3500 Antares
Orange 3500-5000 Arturus
Yellow 5000-6000 Sun
Yellowish-white 6000-7500 Polaris
White 7500-11000 Vega
Bluish-white 11000-25000 Rigel
Blue >25000 Spica
b. Distance
The sun is the closest star to the Earth, which is about 150 million
kilometres away. The distance between the Earth and the Sun is called
astronomical unit (AU).
c. Size
The biggest star is known as the supergiant star and the smallest star is
known as the dwarf star. The sun is a medium-sized dwarf star. A star
appears brighter if it is bigger, hotter, more luminous and closer to
Earth. The luminosity of stars is the amount of light energy emitted by
the surface of the star.
