LESSON3

The Formation of the Milky Way and Our Solar System

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the formation of the Milky Way galaxy and our

solar system;
• Explain how stars are formed;
• Discuss the origin of the Sun and describe its
composition; and
• Discuss the formation of the eraly Earth.
A star is born, and so its dies. Did you know that, one day, our Sun
will die? What will happen then to our earth?
One day, might we all end up possibly into the abyss of oblivion?
What are the dreaded black holes?
Can you imagine how big our Earth is? How about the universe?
What is the name of our galaxy?
The Milky Way: Our Galaxy
Our solar system was formed about 4.6
billion years ago.
Milky Way is a disk-shaped collection of
gases and dusts called interstellar clouds,
in addition to the stars, the planets, and
other galactic bodies in it.
Its disk diameter was estimated to be
between the ranges of 150, 000 to 180, A light-year is a quantity of distance (not
000 light-years. time!) used by astronomers to measure or
Our galaxy is located within one of these report the great distances between cosmic
outer arms, known as the Orion Arm or bodies, which far, far away beyond our
concept of human distances, like the meter
Orion Spur.
or kilometer. It is the distance that light
the nearest galaxy to our Milky Way is travels in a vacuum in one Julian calendar
the Andromeda galaxy. year(365.25 days). Light year is equal to 9,
460, 730, 472, 580, 800 m or 9.4607 x 1012
km!
The Milky Way: Our Galaxy

• The first models had the Earth in the center of the solar system –
GEOCENTRIC
• Greeks were the first to try to determine Earth’s place in the
universe
• Aristotle used math and models to illustrate the universe
The Milky Way is part of a cluster of galaxies called the Local Group.
Andromeda Galaxy, Triangulum Galaxy, and dwarf galaxies, such as the
Sagittarius Dwarf, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the Canis Major Dwarf,
are also parts of the Local Group.
The Local Group, in turn, is part of a bigger cluster of about a hundred
galaxies, called the Virgo Supercluster.
 North Galactic Pole

Dark blue
Back ground radiation
(remnant of the Big Bang)

Pale blue
“cool ripples” or
temperature changes in the
background radiation

Pink
“warm ripples” in the
background radiation

Red and Pink bands

radiation form our galaxy

South Galactic Pole

Stars: Life and Death
 The Birth of Stars
Stars are born within the clouds of dust and
scattered throughout most galaxies. A familiar
example of such as a dust cloud is the Orion
Nebula.
A large celestial body that is composed of gas
and emits light
The SUN is a typical star that is just closer to earth than other
stars
The Greeks grouped stars into shapes called constellations
Core temperature is more than 15 million Kelvins
Turbulence deep within these clouds gives rise to knots with sufficient mass
that the gas and dust can begin to collapse under its own gravitational
attraction. As the cloud collapses, the material at the center begins to heat up.
Known as a protostar, it is this hot core at the heart of the collapsing cloud
that will one day become a star. 
First stage in the formation of stars.
Cores of protostars are not yet sufficiently hot to initiate the process of
nuclear fission to form a new atomic nucleus
Fusion happens when subatomic particles collide at high speed
to form a new atomic nucleus.
Stars are formed from a Nebula collapsing inward and spinning faster and
faster.
The center core increases in temperature
Nuclear forces begin the process of fusion
And the star is turned on
Stars are fueled by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen to form helium deep in their interiors.
The outflow of energy from the central regions of the star provides the pressure
necessary to keep the star from collapsing under its own weight, and the energy by
which it shines.
Main Sequence stars span a wide range of luminosities and colors, and can be
classified according to those characteristics. The smallest stars, known as red dwarfs,
may contain as little as 10% the mass of the Sun and emit only 0.01% as much energy,
glowing feebly at temperatures between 3000-4000K. Despite their diminutive nature,
red dwarfs are by far the most numerous stars in the Universe and have lifespans of
tens of billions of years.
On the other hand, the most massive stars, known as hypergiants, may be 100 or more
times more massive than the Sun, and have surface temperatures of more than 30,000
K.
Nuclear Fusion in Stars
Takes place in the core of the star
Combines Hydrogen atoms fusing together because of high temperature and
pressure
Energy from fusion is released as radiation and convection through the star
layers
Light travels at 3 x 108 m/s
 From the sun to the earth it takes 8 minutes
If the core temperature of a protostar does not attain a temperature higher
than 10 million K, it becomes what is known as a brown dwarf, or a failed
star.
This explanation on stellar genesis is known as the Condensation Theory.
the faster the interstellar clouds rotate, the more stars will be formed.
When a stars burn elements heavier than hydrogen or helium, such as
carbon or oxygen, they expand because of the increased energy released.
These stars are described as red giants because of their red color and
expanded shape.
 Formation of the Solar System
The NEBULAR MODEL
This is the most widely accepted model for the formation of
the solar system NEBULA – A large cloud of dust and gas in
space…region where stars are born or explode
According to this model the sun and planets formed from a
cloud of gas and dust that collapsed because of gravity.
Steps in the Nebular Model
1. Young solar nebula collapses due to gravity.
2. Solar nebula begins to rotate, flatten, and get
warmer near the center.
3. Small “planetismals” begin to form
4. Larger “planets” begin to collect dust and gas from
the nebula
5. ACRETION – smaller planetismals collide with the
larger “planets” causing them to grow
6. Remaining dust and gas are eventually removed…
leaving planets around the sun
7. A NEW SOLAR SYSTEM IS FORMED!
Galaxies
Contain millions to billions of stars
Distances between galaxies are extremely large.
3 Types of Galaxies – Spiral, Elliptical, and Irregular
 Spiral Galaxies
Have spiral arms made
of gas, dust, and stars.
Example: Milky Way
Galaxy
 Elliptical Galaxies
Have no spiral arms
and are egg shaped.
They contain mostly
older stars.
 Irregular Galaxies
Lack regular shapes
and do not have a well-
defined structure
Brightness
Depends on the star’s temperature and distance from earth
Sirius – brightest star in the night sky

Star Color
Related to its temperature
Hotter objects glow brighter and have shorter wavelengths
 (closer to blue)

Cooler objects have less intense color and have longer

wavelengths
 (closer to reds)

The sun appears yellow because the peak wavelength of the sun is
near the color yellow …Yellow also corresponds to a temperature
near 6000 kelvin
Star Life Cycle
Low Mass/Medium Mass High Mass Star
Star 1. Nebula
1. Nebula 2. Protostar
2. Protostar 3. Star
3. Star 4. Super Giant
4. Red Giant 5. Super Nova
5. Planetary Nebula 6. Neutron star or Black hole
6. White dwarf
7. Black dwarf
A Dying Star
Fusion begins to slow down, pressure in the core drops and the core will
contract…causing core temperature to rise.
RED GIANT – A large reddish star late in its life cycle
WHITE DWARF – a small, hot, dim star that is the leftover center of an old star
No longer fuses elements
Most stars in our galaxy end as white dwarfs
Super Giant Stars
Massive stars that evolve faster than smaller stars
Develop hotter cores…create heavier elements through fusion
Fuses Iron atoms right before its death
When fusion stops, the core collapses and causes a shock wave … and
causes a bright explosion.
SuperNova

A gigantic explosion from the collapsing of

a massive star
Supernova explosions cause NEUTRON
STARS or BLACK HOLES
Neutron Star
Black Hole
An object so massive and dense that not even light can escape its gravity
Since no light can escape a black hole cannot be seen directly
They have a very strong gravitational pull.
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
Helps astronomers understand how stars change over time
Vertical axis indicates brightness
Horizontal axis indicates surface temperature of the star
When stars are born, they appear as protostars
Position of a star changes as they go through their life cycle
Red giants are cool and bright so they are in the upper right
White dwarfs are faint and hot so they are in the lower left.