Radio Lobes. Cygnus A, the brightest radio source in Cygnus, is a pair of lobes

Question

Radio Lobes. Cygnus A, the brightest radio source in Cygnus, is a pair of lobes with jets leading from the nucleus of a highly disturbed galaxy. Because the radio energy detected is synchrotron radiation, astronomers clude that the jets and lobes contain very-high-speed electrons, usually called relativistic electrons, spiraling through magnetic fields about 1000 times eaker than Earth’s field. The total energy in a radio lobe is about 1053 J — what you would get if you turned the mass of a million suns directly into energy. Using the energy for each radio lobe, calculate the total mass needed per lobe. Express your answer in units of millions of solar masses. (Hint: E = mc2, where E is energy, m is mass, and c = 3 × 108 ms [the speed of light].)

Explanation / Answer

Total energy

E = m c2

m = E / c2

    = (1053 J ) / ( 3 x 108 m/s )2

      = 1x1036 kg

      = 5.55x105 solar mases .   

( 1 solar mass = 2x1030 kg )

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse R
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.