sun and stars Flashcards
Apparent Magnitude
apparent brightness from earth (diminishes w distance)
Absolute Magnitude
the brightness of a star at 10 parsecs
Star
a body of hot gasses that radiates energy derived from nuclear fusion in its interior
Fusion
when two or more atoms are combined to form a different atom(s)
Parallax
the observed displacement of an object caused by the change of the observer’s point of view
Nebula
an interstellar cloud of gas and dust
Absorption Spectrum
electromagnetic radiation passing through a cool substance, showing dark lines or bands due to absorption of specific wavelengths by different materials the light travels through.
Emission Spectrum
specific wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a hot substance.
Protostar
a body of hot gasses that is still gathering mass from its surroundings before it gets large enough and hot enough to fuse H into He.
White Dwarf
LOW MASS STAR’s dense remaining core that has stopped fusion and ejected its outer envelope of gasses.
Brown Dwarf
A failed star. Not massive enough or hot enough to start fusion of H into He.
Black Dwarf
old cold white dwarf that has radiated away all of its energy. The universe is not old enough for these to exist yet.
Pulsar
A rapidly spinning, magnetized neutron star.
suns temp is determined by
COLOR
To calculate the magnitude of a star we need to know its
distance
