Fig. 1 shows a diagram from a science centre display about the future of the Sun. The boxes are not drawn to scale. The Sun is now a main-sequence star and ...
Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows a diagram from a science centre display about the future of the Sun. The boxes are not drawn to scale. The Sun is now a main-sequence star and fuses hydrogen in its core. In about 5000 million years, the supply of hydrogen in the core will decrease. The display explains that the outer layers will then grow much larger. Earth may be inside these outer layers, so the energy received at Earth would change greatly. The final stages shown apply only to a star that is not very massive.
(a) When the Sun leaves the main sequence, which named stage follows? [2]
(b) What is the name of the gas shell stage in the diagram? [2]
Fig. 1 shows the data path of a space telescope measuring radiation from a newly discovered pulsar. A pulsar is a neutron star rotating very quickly. The telescope records a pulse of radio radiation each time the narrow beam sweeps across Earth. The graph has evenly spaced peaks, showing that the source rotates at a regular rate. The original star was much more massive than the Sun and ended its life in a supernova. The graph is used to calculate the time for one rotation.
(a) What is the time between two successive pulses? [2]
(b) Which stellar remnant is the pulsar? [2]
Answer Details
Future of the Sun
(a) After the main-sequence stage, the Sun becomes a red giant. [2]
(b) The gas shell stage is a planetary nebula. [2]
Pulsar data
(a) The time between successive peaks is 0.8 s. This is the pulsar’s rotation period, because one pulse is detected each time its beam sweeps past Earth. [2]
(b) A pulsar is a neutron star. [2]
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