1
vote
1answer
164 views

Trying to link Eulerian and Lagrangian perturbations

I'm trying to make sense of the link between a (linear) Eulerian (i.e., at a given point) and Lagrangian (following a fluid element) perturbation. I will here express not only where I'm stuck, but ...
0
votes
0answers
81 views

Mass loss rate of planetary nebulae

The “interacting wind” model of planetary nebulae is based on the idea that the white dwarf phase of stellar evolution is preceded by a red giant phase. A fast wind from the hot white dwarf overtakes ...
3
votes
1answer
118 views

What are some ways that humans could have influence over what sequence a star was in?

How would a society go about either preventing our sun in its primary sequence from going into a Red Giant a billion years from now? Or perhaps, accelerating the process of going from main sequence ...
19
votes
1answer
660 views

What nonlinear deformations will a fast rotating planet exhibit?

It is common knowledge among the educated that the Earth is not exactly spherical, and some of this comes from tidal forces and inhomogeneities but some of it comes from the rotation of the planet ...
1
vote
2answers
348 views

Speed of sound in astrophysics

Why is the speed of sound given so much importance in Astrophysics? For example in gas outflow (and accretion) problems, we often calculate the sonic point (the point at which the outflow speed ...
0
votes
1answer
304 views

Given temperature, composition, column density, and radial velocity, can I find the bulk flow of a gas cloud?

We've got a hot star in the middle of a gas cloud. We point a spectrometer at the star, calculating the following attributes of our line of sight at the star through the cloud: Total number of ...
7
votes
1answer
728 views

Why do galaxies and water going down a plug hole spin?

We all experience things spinning, whether it's water down a drain, the earth on its axis, planets round the sun, or stars in a galaxy - even electrons round an atom. But why is spin so common in ...