Star Characteristics Flashcards
(13 cards)
What does magnitude measure?
The brightness of stars
What does Lumionisty measure?
How bright a star is compared to the sun
What is apparent magnitude?
How bright a star appears
What is absolute magnitude?
The true brightness of a star
How do scientists determine absolute magnitude?
They “pretend” all stars are the same distance away from Earth and remove distance as a factor
What are stars assigned for brightness?
A number
The ________ the number the brighter the star
lower
True or False?
Negative-numbered stars are the brightest
True
What are the factors that determine apparent magnitude?
Distance, Temperature, Size
How do we determine the distance of close stars?
Stellar Parallax
How do we determine the distance of faraway stars?
Cepheid Variable stars
What is Stellar Parallax?
The apparent shift in the position of a star because of the Earth’s movement
How does the cephid variable work?
Stars vary in brightness (they pulse) and scientists compare the info to known stars
