Stages
The early, hot stage of a star. BEFORE nuclear fusion begins.
What is protostar?
The end phase of a massive star just before becoming a black hole or neutron star
What is a supernova?
Diagram used to plot luminosity and temperature of stars
What is the Hertzsprung- Russell Diagram (H-R Diagram)?
The spinning, flattened cloud of gas and dust that heats up and gives off x-rays as it spirals into a black hole
What is the accretion disk?
The yellow, or white, star at the center of our solar system
What is the sun?
The long "stable" stage in a star's life cycle
What is main sequence?
The end phase of a small to medium star
What is a planetary nebula?
A physicist who studies celestial bodies and the universe
What is an astronomer?
The center of a black hole, where matter is crushed into infinite density
What is the singularity?
A galaxy shaped like a pinwheel
What is a spiral galaxy?
A massive, brilliant explosion that marks the death of a star
What is a supernova?
The phase of a small to medium star (like our sun) just before its end phase
What is a red giant?
An instrument that breaks up light into characteristic colors
What is a spectroscope?
The boundary around a black hole where nothing, not even light, can escape it's gravity
What is the event horizon?
A group of stars that form a recognizable pattern or shape in the night sky
What is a constellation?
A giant cloud of dust and gas in space where new stars form
What is a nebula?
The theorized true end phase of a medium sized star
What is a black dwarf?
The apparent change in wavelength of light that occurs as an object moves towards or away from the Earth
What is the doppler effect?
Scientists find black holes by searching for ________.
What is xrays?
A theory that the universe began to expand with an explosion of concentrated matter / energy and that it continues to expand today
What is the big bang theory?
The ultra-dense remains of a massive star. Made completely of Neutrons
What is a Neutron star?
The end phase of a star with a core greater than 3 solar masses
What is a black hole?
The number that shows how bright a star is or seems
What is magnitude?
Most black hole data is ____________, meaning we cannot study them directly but instead use math and models to study them.
What is theoretical?
A band of colors formed when light passes through a prism
What is a spectrum?