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Kramer, Ast. Chap. 4
Kramer, Astron. Chap. 4
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Measure of the amount of light a star actually gives off. | Absolute magnitude |
Measure of the amount of light from a star that is received on Earth | Apparent magnitude |
States that about 13.7 billion years ago, the universe began with a huge, fiery explosion | Big Bang theory |
Final stage in the evolution of a very massive star, where the core's mass collapses to a point that its gravity is so strong that not even light can escape. | Black Hole |
Layer of the Sun's atmosphere above the photosphere | Chromosphere |
Group of stars that forms a pattern in the sky that looks like a familiar object, animal, or character | Constellation |
Outermost, largest layer of the Sun's atmosphere; extends millions of kilometers into space and has temperatures up to 2 million K. | Corona |
A large group of stars, dust, and gas held together by gravity; can be elliptical, spiral, or irregular | Galaxy |
Late stage in the life of comparatively, low-mass main sequence star in which hydrogen in the core is depleted, the core contracts and temperatures inside the star increase, causing its outer layers to expand and cool | Giant |
Unit representing the distance light travels in one year- about 9.5 trillion km - used to record distances between stars and galaxies | Light-year |
Large cloud of gas and dust that contracts under gravitational force and breaks apart into smaller pieces, each of which might collapse to form a star | Nebula |
Collapsed core of a supernova that can shrink to about 20 km in diameter and contains only neutrons in the dense core | Neutron star |
Lowest layer of the Sun's atmosphere, gives off light and has temperatures of about 6,000 K | Photosphere |
Areas on the Sun's surface that are cooler and less bright than surrounding areas, are caused by the Sun's magnetic field, and occur in cycles | Sunspots |
Late stage in the life cycle of a massive star in which the core heats up, heavy elements form by fusion, and the star expands; can eventually explode to form a supernova | Supergiant |
Late stage in the life of comparatively low-mass main sequence star formed when its core depletes its helium and its outer layer escape into space, leaving behind a hot, dense core | White Dwarf |