Night Sky Objects

Question 1

What is a star?

Answer 1

A luminous celestial body composed of plasma held together by gravity.

Question 2

True or False: Stars are only found in our galaxy.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

What process powers stars?

Answer 3

Nuclear fusion

Question 4

Fill in the blank: The closest star to Earth is _____ .

Answer 4

Proxima Centauri

Question 5

What is the primary element that stars fuse in their cores?

Answer 5

Hydrogen

Question 6

True or False: All stars are the same size.

Answer 6

False

Question 7

What is the term for a star’s brightness as seen from Earth?

Answer 7

Apparent magnitude

Question 8

What is the lifecycle stage of a star after it exhausts its hydrogen fuel?

Answer 8

Red giant

Question 9

What is a supernova?

Answer 9

A powerful explosion that occurs at the end of a star’s life cycle.

Question 10

Fill in the blank: The color of a star is primarily determined by its _____ .

Answer 10

Temperature

Question 11

What is the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram used for?

Answer 11

To classify stars based on their luminosity and temperature.

Question 12

What type of star is our Sun?

Answer 12

G-type main-sequence star (G dwarf)

Question 13

True or False: Neutron stars are formed from massive stars after a supernova.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

What is a white dwarf?

Answer 14

A small, dense star that is the remnant core of a low to medium mass star.

Question 15

Fill in the blank: A star’s _____ is a measure of its total energy output.

Answer 15

Luminosity

Question 16

What is the difference between a red dwarf and a blue giant?

Answer 16

Red dwarfs are cooler and smaller than blue giants, which are hotter and more massive.

Question 17

What is the main sequence phase of a star?

Answer 17

The longest phase in a star’s life where it fuses hydrogen into helium.

Question 18

Fill in the blank: A star that can no longer sustain nuclear fusion will eventually become a _____ .

Answer 18

Black hole

Question 19

What is a binary star system?

Answer 19

A system where two stars orbit around a common center of mass.

Question 20

True or False: The Sun will eventually become a black hole.

Answer 20

False

Question 21

What is a protostar?

Answer 21

An early stage of star formation where a cloud of gas and dust collapses under gravity.

Question 22

What is the significance of the cosmic distance ladder in astronomy?

Answer 22

It is a series of methods used to determine the distances to celestial objects, including stars.

Question 23

Fill in the blank: The temperature of a star can be determined from its _____ .

Answer 23

Color spectrum

Question 24

What is a main-sequence star?

Answer 24

A star that is in the stable phase of hydrogen burning in its core.

Question 25

What type of stellar remnant is formed when a massive star collapses?

Answer 25

Neutron star or black hole

Question 26

True or False: Stars are static and do not move.

Answer 26

False

Question 27

What is the term for the outer layer of a star's atmosphere?

Answer 27

Corona

Question 28

Fill in the blank: The _____ of a star is the region where nuclear fusion occurs.

Answer 28

Core

Question 29

What does the term 'stellar parallax' refer to?

Answer 29

The apparent shift in position of a star due to Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Question 30

What is a red giant?

Answer 30

A star in the late stages of evolution that has expanded and cooled.

Question 31

Fill in the blank: A star's _____ is its brightness compared to other stars.

Answer 31

Absolute magnitude

Question 32

What is the role of supernovae in the universe?

Answer 32

They distribute heavy elements into space, enriching the interstellar medium.

Question 33

What is the primary fuel for a star's nuclear fusion during its main sequence phase?

Answer 33

Hydrogen

Question 34

What happens to a star when it runs out of hydrogen?

Answer 34

It expands into a red giant and starts fusing helium.

Question 35

True or False: The Sun is the only star in the Milky Way galaxy.

Answer 35

False

Question 36

What is an astronomical unit (AU)?

Answer 36

The average distance from the Earth to the Sun, approximately 93 million miles.

Question 37

Fill in the blank: The _____ is a measure of how far light travels in one year.

Answer 37

Light year

Question 38

What is a main-sequence star's position on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?

Answer 38

It is located along the diagonal band from the upper left to the lower right.

Question 39

What is the difference between a nova and a supernova?

Answer 39

A nova is a thermonuclear explosion on a white dwarf, while a supernova is an explosion of a massive star.

Question 40

Fill in the blank: The process by which a star forms from a molecular cloud is called _____ .

Answer 40

Star formation

Question 41

What determines a star's fate after its main sequence phase?

Answer 41

Its mass

Question 42

True or False: Stars can be classified based on their temperature and luminosity.

Answer 42

True

Question 43

What does the term 'stellar nucleosynthesis' refer to?

Answer 43

The process by which elements are created within stars through nuclear fusion.

Question 44

What is the primary component of a star's core?

Answer 44

Plasma

Question 45

Fill in the blank: The _____ of a star is the region where energy is transported from the core to the surface.

Answer 45

Radiative zone

Question 46

What is the role of gravity in star formation?

Answer 46

It causes gas and dust to collapse and form stars.

Question 47

What is a star cluster?

Answer 47

A group of stars that are gravitationally bound and formed from the same molecular cloud.

Question 48

Fill in the blank: The _____ is the stage before a star becomes a main-sequence star.

Answer 48

Protostar

Question 49

What is the significance of the spectral classification of stars?

Answer 49

It helps astronomers understand a star's temperature, composition, and age.

Question 50

What happens to the outer layers of a star during a supernova?

Answer 50

They are expelled into space.