Stardust

A talk given at Black Rock City in August 2013 during Burning Man

Transcript

1. Matteo Cantiello - Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UCSB Hundreds of Billions: The quest to understand stars, planets & our place in the Universe
2. Playadust is 100% Stardust! Starlight, an installation from Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson, and Chad Ingle for Burning Man 2012 Source: Kimberly Li http://blog.gessato.com/2012/12/18/starlight-installation-at-the-burning-man-2012
3. Playadust is 100% Stardust! Starlight, an installation from Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson, and Chad Ingle for Burning Man 2012 Source: Kimberly Li http://blog.gessato.com/2012/12/18/starlight-installation-at-the-burning-man-2012
4. Playadust is 100% Stardust! Starlight, an installation from Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson, and Chad Ingle for Burning Man 2012 Source: Kimberly Li http://blog.gessato.com/2012/12/18/starlight-installation-at-the-burning-man-2012 Source: Gillet (1999)
5. • Astrophysics: from Greek “Nature of stars / outer space” • Planets • Stars • Galaxies • Universe What is “Astrophysics”?
6. • Astrophysics: from Greek “Nature of stars / outer space” • Planets • Stars • Galaxies • Universe What is “Astrophysics”?
7. • Astrophysics: from Greek “Nature of stars / outer space” • Planets • Stars • Galaxies • Universe What is “Astrophysics”?
8. • Astrophysics: from Greek “Nature of stars / outer space” • Planets • Stars • Galaxies • Universe What is “Astrophysics”?
9. It’s all about big numbers 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
10. It’s all about big numbers 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 ..................
11. It’s all about big numbers 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 .................. 58 129 000 000 000 $
12. It’s all about big numbers 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 .................. 58 129 000 000 000 $ ................................
13. It’s all about big numbers 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 .................. 58 129 000 000 000 $ ................................ 602200000000000000000000 = ????
14. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101
15. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101 100 = 10 x10 =102
16. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101 100 = 10 x10 =102 1000 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 103
17. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101 100 = 10 x10 =102 1000 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 103 10000 = 104
18. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101 100 = 10 x10 =102 1000 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 103 10000 = 104 100000 = 105
19. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101 100 = 10 x10 =102 1000 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 103 10000 = 104 100000 = 105 ................................
20. Powers of ten: The scientific notation 1 = 100 10 = 101 100 = 10 x10 =102 1000 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 103 10000 = 104 100000 = 105 ................................ 602200000000000000000000 = 6.022 x1023
21. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
22. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) 104 ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
23. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) 104 ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
24. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) 104 ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
25. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) 104 ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
26. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) 104 ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
27. The cosmic distance scale ~10 000 miles (7900 miles) (ten thousand miles ) 104 ~1 000 000 miles (one million miles) 106 ~100000000000000 miles ~ 10 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1014 ~1000000000000000000 miles ~100 000 light years (ten thousand billion miles) 1018 ~100000000000000000000000 miles ~10 000 000 000 light years (...) 1023
28. Let’s talk stars
29. Many many stars out there...
30. Many many stars out there... 100 000 000 000 (1011) in our Galaxy 100 000 000 000 (1011) estimated galaxies in the Universe 1011 x 1011 = 1022 = 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 00 Stars In the whole Universe
31. Many many stars out there... 100 000 000 000 (1011) in our Galaxy 100 000 000 000 (1011) estimated galaxies in the Universe 1011 x 1011 = 1022 = 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 00 Stars In the whole Universe ... and there is one that is especially important for us
33. What is a star?
35. What is a star?
36. What is a star? It’s a body satisfying 2 conditions:
37. What is a star? It’s a body satisfying 2 conditions: 1.Is bound by self-gravity
38. What is a star? It’s a body satisfying 2 conditions: 1.Is bound by self-gravity 2.It radiates energy supplied by some internal source
39. Why stars are spherical?
40. Why stars are spherical? • A body bound by self-gravity has to be spherical, for gravity is a spherically symmetric force-field.
41. Why stars are spherical? • A body bound by self-gravity has to be spherical, for gravity is a spherically symmetric force-field. • But what is the source of energy that makes it shines?
42. Stars are very luminous The amount of energy produced by the Sun is HUGE. Basically to make the Sun shine for only 1 second, we would need the energy provided in a whole year by about 3 billion power plants (3x109)!
43. What can provide all that energy?
44. What can provide all that energy? Burning fossil fuel?
45. What can provide all that energy? Burning fossil fuel? Would only work for a few thousand yrs
46. What can provide all that energy? Gravitational contraction?
47. What can provide all that energy? Gravitational contraction? Would only work for about 30 million years
48. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion
49. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion
50. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion The nuclear energy available per atom is roughly one million times bigger than the chemical energy per atom of typical fuels.This can provide enough energy for the Sun to shine about 10 billion years.
51. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion The nuclear energy available per atom is roughly one million times bigger than the chemical energy per atom of typical fuels.This can provide enough energy for the Sun to shine about 10 billion years. Nuclear fusion of H requires very high temperatures (T >10 million degrees)
53. Periodic Table of the Elements
54. after the big bang Periodic Table of the Elements
55. Periodic Table of the Elements
56. Periodic Table of the Elements
57. DNA made of C,O,H,N,P The ingredients of life
58. Stars live... (for million/billion of years) and die (Some explode as Supernovae) They release some of their content in space Stars: Life and Death
59. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
60. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
61. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
62. Orion Nebula (M42) Stars: Life from Death
63. Playadust is 100% Stardust! Starlight, an installation from Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson, and Chad Ingle for Burning Man 2012 Source: Kimberly Li http://blog.gessato.com/2012/12/18/starlight-installation-at-the-burning-man-2012
64. Playadust is 100% Stardust! Starlight, an installation from Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson, and Chad Ingle for Burning Man 2012 Source: Kimberly Li http://blog.gessato.com/2012/12/18/starlight-installation-at-the-burning-man-2012
65. Playadust is 100% Stardust! Starlight, an installation from Erich Remash, Jeremy Berglund, Don Peterson, and Chad Ingle for Burning Man 2012 Source: Kimberly Li http://blog.gessato.com/2012/12/18/starlight-installation-at-the-burning-man-2012 Source: Gillet (1999)
66. Is the Solar System Unique?
67. How can we find distant planets?
68. Occultation / Transit
69. Text 2 500 000 l.y. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech 700 000 000 000 Stars
70. The Kepler Satellite
72. The Kepler Satellite
75. ! !
79. The Kepler Satellite
80. Distance: 620 light years
82. Planets everywhere! How many planets out there?
83. Billions of Galaxies
85. 2 500 000 l.y. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech 700 000 000 000 Stars
86. Credits: NASA
87. Credit: NASA Credits: NASA/ESA
88. Credit: NASA
89. Credit: NASA
90. Credit: NASA, Hubble Ultra Deep Field
92. 5000 galaxies
93. 5000 galaxies 20 000 000 across the sky
94. 5000 galaxies 20 000 000 across the sky 100 000 000 000 galaxies
95. 700 000 000 000 stars 100 000 000 000 galxs
96. 70 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 stars
97. 70 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 planets
98. Plenty of new worlds • 859 Confirmed planets outside the Solar System. 18 000 Planet candidates, including potentially 262 habitable ones. •A rule of thumb is that every star in the Galaxy has at least 1 planet orbiting around it. Just in the Galaxy there are then more than 100 Billion planets (1011) •Of these it has been estimated at least 17 billion are Earth-sized
99. Astro (Astounding) Facts
100. • Stars and planets are round because of their own strong gravitational force Astro (Astounding) Facts
101. • Stars and planets are round because of their own strong gravitational force • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion Astro (Astounding) Facts
102. • Stars and planets are round because of their own strong gravitational force • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion • Life as we know it exists because of stars. Almost all the elements of which we are made of have been produced inside a star Astro (Astounding) Facts
103. • Stars and planets are round because of their own strong gravitational force • Stars shine because are powered by nuclear fusion • Life as we know it exists because of stars. Almost all the elements of which we are made of have been produced inside a star •There are many MANY stars, and many MANY planets orbiting those stars out there Astro (Astounding) Facts
104. Life from Death Orion Nebula (M42) Thanks! Any questions? Or you can always shoot me an email: matteo@kitp.ucsb.edu