Most nearby stars move relative to the Sun at speeds below about 30 km/s. Suppose you observe a nearby star that is moving much faster than this (say, 300 km/s). Which of the following is a likely explanation for its high speed?
A. It is probably a halo star that is currently passing through the disk.
B. It is a very young star, recently formed.
C. It has been pushed to high speed by the shock wave from a nearby supernova.
D. It is a very high mass star.
Answer:A
Most nearby stars move relative to the Sun at speeds below about 30 km/s. Suppose you observe a nearby star that is moving much faster than this (say, 300 km/s). Which of the following is a likely explanation for its high speed?
A. It is probably a halo star that is currently passing through the disk. B. It is a very young star, recently formed. C. It has been pushed to high speed by the shock wave from a nearby supernova. D. It is a very high mass star.