Show:
Star Beginnings
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
The Death of a Star
Stars more Massive than the Sun
True or False
100
Define "Nebula"
A massive cloud of interstellar gas and dust; the beginning of a star.
100
Is this statement True or False? Finnish astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung and American astronomer Henry Norris Russell founded this diagram.
False: Danish (not Finnish) astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung and American astronomer Henry Norris Russell founded this diagram.
100
Define "Red Giant"
A star near the end of its life cycle with a mass that is equal to or smaller that that of the Sun; becomes larger and redder as it runs out of hydrogen fuel.
100
Define "Supernova"
A stellar explosion that occurs at the end of a massive star's life
100
Stars are formed using the energy given off from other stars and dust.
False: Stars are formed inside giant clouds of gas and dust called "nebulas".
200
Define "Protostar"
A massive concentration of gas and dust thought to eventually develop into a star after the nebula collapses.
200
Define "Main Sequence"
The stars (including the Sun) that form a narrow band across the H-R Diagram from the upper left to the lower right.
200
Define "Red Supergiant"
A star near the end of its life cycle with a mass that is 10 times (or more) larger than that of the Sun; becomes larger and redder as it runs out of hydrogen fuel.
200
True or False: A star with a low mass consumes hydrogen much faster than a star with a high mass, resulting in a shorter life span.
False: A star with a high mass consumes hydrogen much faster than a star with a low mass, resulting in a shorter life span.
200
Stars shine through a process known as nuclear fusion.
True
300
Fill in the blank: As the mass and gravity of a protostar _____, it becomes a tightly packed sphere of matter, drawing more and more matter into its core.
Increases
300
True or False: Astronomers have determined that hotter, more luminous main sequence stars are more massive, while cooler, less luminous stars are less massive.
True
300
True or False: As a red giant ages it consumes the remaining supply of helium and the core contracts further.
False: As a red giant ages it consumes the remaining supply of HYDROGEN and the core contracts further.
300
The core of a massive star becomes so hot that when helium is no longer available for fusion, carbon undergoes fusion. True or False: Oxygen can be produced when this occurs.
True
300
When a star with an initial mass between 10 and 30 solar masses explodes into a supernova, the core left behind becomes a white dwarf.
When a star with an initial mass between 10 and 30 solar masses explodes into a supernova, the core left behind becomes a neutron star.
400
At what temperature does nuclear fusion begin?
15 Million Degrees Celsius
400
What do main sequence stars fuse to produce helium in their cores?
Hydrogen
400
What element can the fusion of helium in a red giant produce? Hint: The fusion of helium continues the expansion of the red giant and can produce heavier elements.
Carbon
400
Fill in the blank: The energy released by such massive supernova explosions is capable of causing many ____ reactions.
Fusion
400
Astronomers can see black holes using a special telescope called the "Gamma Ray Telescope".
False: Astronomers can see the gravitational effect that a quantity of matter believed to be a black hole has on the surrounding area.
500
A new star emits radiation in many different ways. Name 2.
1. Heat 2. Light 3. X-rays 4. Gamma Rays 5. Other Energetic Particles
500
What does a star's mass determine? Please give ALL 4 factors!
1. Brightness 2. Colour 3. Size 4. How long it will "live"
500
Define "White Dwarf"
A small, hot, dim star created by the remaining material that is left when a red giant dies.
500
Define either a "neutron star" or a "black whole"
Neutron Star: an extremely dense star made up of tightly packed neutrons; results when a star over 10 solar masses collapses. Black Hole: an extremely dense quantity of matter in space from which no light or matter can escape.
500
Small to medium stars (<5 solar masses), use up hydrogen and other fuels and swells to become a large, cool red giant at old age.
True