Stars
A light producing sphere of plasma (superheated gas) that is held together by gravity and produces its own energy.
What is a star?
cloud of gas and dust
Nebula
How are stars classified? (2 categories)
Temperature and luminosity
How long does it take light from our sun to reach earth?
about 8 minutes
What is the closest star to earth?
the sun
What is the difference between a star and a gas giant planet like Jupiter?
A star produces its own energy
The phase that a star spends most of its life
Main sequence
What color are the hottest stars?
Blue
what color is our sun?
yellow
What determines the path a star will take throughout its life?
the mass / size
The process that gives stars their energy
What is nuclear fusion?
The phase in which the star is fusing hydrogen into helium
main sequence
What color are the coolest stars?
Red
in what phase of stellar evolution is our sun?
main sequence
Which stars have the highest luminosity?
supergiants
Refers to how bright the star appears from an observer on Earth. Far away stars appear less bright than stars closer.
What is apparent magnitude?
The most massive stars end their lives as this
black hole
Where are the bright and cool stars located on the HR diagram? (top/bottom and right/left)
Top right
What phase will our sun move into next?
Red giant
What is the luminosity of our sun?
1
How does nuclear fusion work?
lighter elements fuse together to make a heavier elements.
Hydrogen fuses to produce helium
How does the size of a star affect the length of its life?
larger stars die faster
smaller stars live longer
What does HR stand for?
Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) Diagram
How will our sun end its life?
as a white dwarf
also acceptable - black dwarf
What did I give you to color during 10 mindful minutes last week (first 10 minutes of class)? Describe the image
Description of the image