Astrophysics Flashcards
(18 cards)
Asteroid
Lumps of rock found between Mars and Jupiter
Astronomical Unit (AU)
The average distance between the Earth and the sun
Black Hole
The final stage of a high mass star’s life cycle where gravity is so strong not even light can escape
Comet
Made of ice and dust and orbit the Sun in a highly elliptical orbit
Constellation
A small group of stars that appear to make a pattern in the sky - they may not be close together
Exoplanet
A planet orbiting another star beyond our solar system
Galaxy
Hundreds of billions of stars held together by gravity
Light year (ly)
The distance that light travels in one year
M☉ and R☉
Mass and radius of the Sun
Main Sequence Star
The stable period of a star’s life cycle where inwards gravitational force = outwards pressure due to fusion
Neutron Star
The final stage of a high mass star’s life cycle where gravity forces electrons to combine with protons
Parsec (pc)
Equal to 3.26 light years
Planetary Nebula
What happens to a low mass star once fusion stops
Red Giant (or red supergiant)
The phase in a star’s life cycle once hydrogen fusion in the core stops
Star
A massive, luminous ball of heated gas that are held together by gravity
Stellar Nebula
A cloud of gas from which stars form
Supernova
What happens to a high mass star once fusion stops
White Dwarf
The final stage of a low mass star’s life cycle
