Interstellar gas in many galaxies is in virial equilibrium with the stars, in that the rms...

Interstellar gas in many galaxies is in virial equilibrium with the stars, in that the rms speed of the gas particles is the same as the rms stellar speed. Consider a large elliptical galaxy with a virial radius of 150 kpc and a mass of 5 × 10¹² solar masses. Calculate the rms stellar velocity using the virial theorem. Hence estimate the temperature of the interstellar gas, assuming that it is composed entirely of hydrogen.

Expert Solution

Using the values given in the question and applying Virial Theorem,

The RMS stellar velocity is calculated to be equal to 2.93 X 10⁵ m/s and the temperature of the interstellar gas is calculated to be 2.1 X 10²⁹ Kelvin, assuming it is entirely composed of hydrogen

genius_generous answered 1 year ago

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