Characteristics
This gas makes up most of a star and is the main fuel for fusion.
What is hydrogen
What term do scientists use to describe how bright a star looks from Earth?
What is Apparent Magnitude?
After a star uses up its hydrogen and swells very large but not as large as a supergiant, it becomes this.
Red Giant
How far does light travel in one year?
A light year
The process where particles combine to form a new particle and release energy in a star is called ____.
What is fusion?
What is the name for how bright a star actually is if all stars were the same distance from Earth?
Absolute magnitude
What small, hot, dense star remains after a nova?
White dwarf
About how many kilometers are in one light-year?
9.5 trillion
Name two characteristics listed in the chapter that help describe stars (choose any two).
What are brightness, distance, age, color?
What unit do scientists use to measure the huge distances to stars (distance light travels in one year)?
Light-year.
What powerful explosion happens when a very massive star collapses at the end of its life?
Supernova
Explain how the color of a star tells us about its surface temperature
blue-white = hottest, red = coolest
If a star appears dimmer than another star but both actually give off the same amount of light, what does that tell you about the dimmer star’s distance?
The dimmer star is farther away.
Name two possible remnants left after a supernova.
Neutron star or black hole.
About how many stars are there in our galaxy, the Milky Way?
100 Billion
The Sun’s apparent magnitude is −26.7 and Sirius’s apparent magnitude is −1.4. Which one looks brighter to us and why?
The Sun looks much brighter (−26.7 is more negative = brighter) because it is much closer to Earth.