16.8k views
3 votes
an astronomer discovers a star that has a peak wavelength of 361 nm. determine the peak frequency and the temperature of the star's surface.

User Garson
by
7.6k points

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

The peak frequency of the star's light with a wavelength of 361 nm is approximately 8.31 × 1014 Hz. Using Wien's law, the temperature of the star's surface is calculated to be approximately 8027 K.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the peak frequency of the star's light, we can use the equation c = λf, where c is the speed of light (approximately 3 × 108 m/s), λ is the wavelength, and f is the frequency. Given that the wavelength λ is 361 nm (which is 361 × 10-9 meters), we can rearrange the equation to solve for f: f = c /λ.

Peak Frequency, f = (3 × 108 m/s) / (361 × 10-9 m) which equals approximately 8.31 × 1014 Hz.

To find the temperature of the star's surface using Wien's law, which relates the wavelength of peak emission of a blackbody to its temperature (T) by the equation λmax T = b where b is Wien's displacement constant (approximately 2.898 × 106 nm·K).

Star's surface temperature, T = (2.898 × 106 nm·K) / 361 nm which equals approximately 8027 K.

User Cloudberryman
by
8.5k points