The Lives of Stars
The specific factor that determines whether a star becomes a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole
What is the star's initial mass?
The element primarily formed by fusion in the cores of main-sequence stars
What is helium?
The EM radiation with the highest frequency and energy
What are gamma rays?
The observation that the universe is expanding uniformly in all directions
What is Hubble's Law?
The theory explaining how the solar system formed
What is the nebular theory?
The stage when a star begins nuclear fusion and shines steadily
What is the main sequence?
Elements heavier than iron are mainly formed during this violent stellar event
What is a supernova?
The part of the electromagnetic spectrum detectable by human eyes
What is visible light?
The faint radiation left over from the early universe
What is cosmic microwave background radiation?
The rotating cloud of gas and dust that formed the Sun and planets
What is a nebula?
The stage in which a Sun-like star fuses helium into carbon and oxygen
What is the red giant phase?
The element at which fusion becomes energetically unfavorable in stellar cores, causing a supernova
What is iron?
As wavelength decreases, this property of EM waves increases
What is energy (or frequency)?
The change in a wave's frequency due to relative motion between the wave source and an observer
What is the Doppler Effect?
The process by which dust particles stick together to form larger bodies
What is accretion?
The remnant left after a Type II supernova when the core does not collapse into a black hole
What is a neutron star?
Fusion reactions in stars convert mass into energy according to this equation
What is E=mc^2 ?
The James Webb Space Telescope is primarily measuring this range of the EM Spectrum
What is infrared?
The abundance of hydrogen and helium that supports predictions from this theory
What is Big Bang nucleosynthesis?
The force that caused the solar nebula to collapse and begin forming the Sun
What is gravity?
The temperature–luminosity diagram used to classify stars and track their evolution
What is the H-R Diagram?
The fusion process that converts hydrogen into helium in Sun-like stars
What is the proton-proton chain?
The reason the cosmic microwave background is observed in the microwave range today
What is redshift due to cosmic expansion?
The theoretical point of infinite density, temperature, and spacetime curvature from which the universe began
What is the singularity?
The flat, spinning shape formed by the collapsing solar nebula
What is a protoplanetary disk?