Formation
A large could of gas and dust containing an immense volume of materlal.
Nebula (1st step)
Small-mass stars use up their fuel more slowly than these stars.
Large-mass Stars
All stars are huge spheres of super-hot, glowing gas called this.
Plasma
Graph of surface temperatures of stars.
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
Large, luminous object made mostly of hydrogen and helium gases.
Star
Gravity pulls gas and dust together.
Law of Universal Gravitation (Step 2)
The Sun is this size of a star.
Medium-sized
The coolest stars with a temperature of less than 3,500 K appear this color.
Red
Depends on both distance from Earth and how bright the star truly is.
Apparent Magnitude (brightness)
True or False: Stars last forever.
False
A contracting cloud of gas and dust with enough mass to form a star.
Protostar (Step 3)
Medium-size stars last about this long.
10 billion years
The sun is this color and has an average temperature of 5,500 K.
Yellow
The brightness the star would have if it were at a standard distance from Earth.
Luminosity (Absolute Brightness)
These planets that are smaller in size and mass.
Inner Planets
Process by which atoms combine to form heavier atoms.
Nuclear Fusion (Step 4)
A sun-like star will expand to become this when it begins to run out of fuel.
Red Giant
The hottest stars with a temperatures ranging from 30,000 - 60,000 K are this color.
Blue
These 2 things make a star brighter.
Size and Temperature
These planets are massive gas giants mostly made up of hydrogen and helium gases.
Outer Planets
Where stars are born in large, dense clouds of gas.
Stellar Nursery
The stages of a star at the end of its life cycle.
Red giant, Planetary nebula, White dwarf
These stars are about the size of the Earth.
White Dwarf
Properties used to differentiate stars.
Color, Temperature, Size, Absolute Brightness
The instrument astronomers use to analyze the light from stars.
Spectrograph