Birth of Stars
The James Webb Space Telescope is better than Hubble for observing star forming regions because it can observe at this wavelength of light.
What is infrared?
An object officially becomes a star when this happens.
What is nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium begins in its core?
This is the first wrung of the cosmic distance ladder; it can be used to determine distances within the solar system.
What is radar ranging?
This method of extrasolar detection measures the motion of a star around a common center of mass with an orbiting planet by measuring the changing speed of the star.
What is the Doppler Method?
This is made up of solid microscopic particles of silicates, carbon and iron compounds.
What is interstellar dust?
This is the birthplace of stars - it's cold and made up of atoms and molecules.
What is a molecular cloud?
Once a star runs out of hydrogen in its core, the core begins to collapse and hydrogen eventually starts to fuse here.
What is in a shell around the core?
This is the value of (apparent magnitude - absolute magnitude).
What is the Distance Modulus?
This nickname is given to the type of exoplanet that is both giant and orbiting close to its host star.
What is a Hot Jupiter?
These are considered "failed stars" because their cores never got hot enough for nuclear fusion to begin.
What is a brown dwarf?
This object is heated by the release of gravitational potential energy, but has not yet started nuclear fusion.
What is a protostar?
Models of stars suggest this limits how massive a star can be without blowing itself apart.
What is radiation pressure?
This is the Y-axis of the HR Diagram; it is used interchangeably with luminosity.
What is absolute magnitude?
Kepler has discovered exoplanets that are found in this, or the range of distance from the star where surface temperatures are likely to be consistent with liquid water.
What is the Habitable Zone?
After a low mass star begins double shell burning, its outer layers are slowly expelled into space creating this object.
What is a planetary nebula?
This evolutionary stage comes after the protostar phase and before the object becomes a full fledged star by starting nuclear fusion in its core.
What is a T Tauri star?
For low mass stars, this happens when gravity overcomes degeneracy pressure at the end of the red giant phase.
What is a helium flash?
On the HR Diagram, this increases as you move up and to the right.
What is stellar radius?
This method of detection involves analyzing light curves of stars for dips in brightness; the Kepler spacecraft uses this technique.
What is the Planet Transit Method?
Three helium nuclei fuse together to create this element.
What is carbon?
These are thought to relieve the build-up of angular momentum as material spirals down onto the protostar; they are dense and collimated.
What are bipolar flows (or jets)?
Helium-burning stars are found on this part the H-R diagram; they have roughly the same luminosity but various surface temperatures.
What is the horizontal branch?
When you plot recessional velocity of galaxies versus their distance, this gives you the Hubble Constant.
What is the slope of the best fit line?
These rotating disks of material are found around protostars, and are thought to be the raw material for the formation of extrasolar planets.
What are protoplanetary disks (or proplyds)?
What is the name of the quantum mechanics theory that limits how closely electrons can be packed in a gas?
What is Pauli Exclusion Principle?