1.

Doppler shift due to the Earths orbital motion

The radius of the Earths orbit is 1.5 1013 cm (= 1 AU).
1.1 First calculate the velocity of the Earth.

1.2 Lets assume a star, which is at rest with respect to the Sun (= the star is not moving away
from the Sun and not approaching the Sun). This star shows the H line at 6562.81
A. Compute the
maximum Doppler shift in wavelength caused by the Earths orbital motion.

2. Eective temperature of the Sun

Estimate the eective temperature of the Sun from the angular diameter of the Sun (32 ) and the energy
received on the Earth (exactly speaking the energy received just outside the Earths atmosphere),
1.37 106 erg/s/cm2 .

3. Temperature of the Earth

Estimate the temperature of the Earth by assuming that the Earth is warmed up by the energy from
the Sun and emits like a blackbody.
1.1 First compute the energy received by the Earth (without using E from the above exercise) from
the luminosity of the Sun (L ), the distance between the Sun and the Earth (d), and the radius of
the Earth (R ).

1.2 Estimate the temperature of the Earth by assuming that the above received energy is completely
absorbed by the Earth and that it emits like a blackbody with a temperature of T . Do you think
that the result is reasonable? L = 3.84 1033 erg s1 , = 5.67 105 erg s1 cm2 K4 , and
d = 1.5 1013 cm.

1.3 However, not all the energy received by the Earth is absorbed. Actually, about 30% is reflected
back to the space due to the clouds, ice, etc. Re-estimate the temperature of the Earth by assuming
that 30% of the received energy is reflected back and it emits like a blackbody with a temperature of
T . Do you think that the result is reasonable? If not, what can be the reason? Hint: atmospheric
transmission in the infrared.

4. Distance to the Hyades cluster

Determine the distance to the Hyades cluster using the moving cluster method.
4.1 The attached figure (Fig. 1) shows the direction of the proper motion of each star. First determine
the convergence point by extending the direction of the proper motion of 10 20 stars which you pick
up.
4.2 Measure the angle between the convergence point and the center of the cluster, which is approximately at (right ascension) = 65 , (declination) = 16 . Note that the right ascension increases
toward the left (= East).

4.3 The average proper motion of the cluster stars is 0. 12/yr, and the radial velocity of the stars in
the cluster is 40 km s1 . Using the measured angle between the convergence point and the cluster
center, calculate the distance to the cluster.

Figure 1: Proper motions of the stars in the Hyades cluster.

Figure 2: The Star has a temperature of 4000 K, and the atmosphere has a temperature of 2000 K.
5. Kirchho s law
Figure 2 shows a star with an eective temperature of 4000 K. It has an atmosphere. We assume that
the temperature of the atmosphere is 2000 K (although the atmosphere has a temperature gradient
in realityhotter in deep layers, cooler in outer, upper layers). We observe some spectral line (for
example, H line) from this star.
5.1 For the line of sight 1, do we see absorption or emission?

5.2 For the line of sight 2, do we see absorption or emission?

5.4 We usually cannot spatially resolve the star: we cannot observe a star like the Sun but the star
appears to be a point. This means that we observe the light integrated over the star. In other words,
we observe the sum of dierent lines of sight. In this case, do we see absorption or emission? Or we
cannot say definitively?

6. Hydrogen ionization
The ionization equilibrium is determined by the Saha equation.
n1 ne
2Z1 (T )
=
n0
Z0 (T )

2me kT
h2

)3/2

e/kT .

ne is the electron density. n0 and n1 are the number density of neutral H (H) and H+ , respectively.
Z0 (T ) and Z1 (T ) are the partition function of H and H+ at temperature T , respectively. is the
ionization potential of H, 13.6 eV.
6.1 The partition function Z(T ) is given by
Z(T ) = g1 +

gn e(En E1 )/kT .

n=2

For H+ , there is only one state (it is just a proton), so Z1 = g1 = 1. For neutral H, g1 = 2, because
the ground state of H can have two electrons of spin up and down. Compute e(En E1 )/kT for n = 2
for T = 10000K. The energy level of H is given by
En (eV) = 13.6

1
.
n2

Do we have to sum up for all n to compute Z0 ? If not, what is the value of Z0 ?

6.2 When one H atom ionizes, it produces one electron. Therefore, ne = n1 . Using this, eliminate ne
from the Saha equation. You also use Z1 = 1 and Z0 = 2 (from 6.1).

6.3 Now we define n to be the total number of hydrogen, n = n0 + n1 , and the ionization fraction
1
= nn1 . Rewrite the Saha equation using x and n.
x = n0n+n
1
6.4 The equation obtained in 6.3 is a quadratic equation for a given T and n. We assume n = 1014 cm3
as a typical number density for a stellar atmosphere. Compute the ionization fraction x for dierent
temperatures (for example, 3000 K, 4000 K, 5000 K, ...., 17000 K) and plot x as a function of T .
Check how the ionization fraction changes with T . At what temperature does x reach 1?