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7.1 Glossary
Term | Definition |
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Accretion | The process in which particles of dust and rock slowly come together due to gravity to form a larger object |
Binary Star System | Two stars that orbit a common center of mass |
Black hole | A collapsed star so massive that not even light can escape from its gravitational field |
Galaxy | A large group of stars attracted to one another by gravity |
Gravitational lensing | The bending of light rays due to the distortion of space caused by a massive object such as a black hole |
Gravity | The force that cause all matter to collect together |
Light-year | The distance light travels in a year |
Milky Way | The Galaxy in which the solar system is located |
Nebula | A cloud of gas found in empty space between stars |
Nuclear Fusion | The process in which hydrogen is converted into helium to produce light and heat |
Parallax | A technique used to measure the distance to other stars |
Parsec | An astronomical unit of length equal to 3.26 light years |
Protoplanetary Disk | Disk of gas surrounding a Protostar that will form into planets |
Protostar | A collapsing cloud of gas that will eventually become a star |
Radiation pressure | The force produced by radiation from pressure caused by heat |
Stellar Parallax | The apparent change in the position of a star throughout the year due to the Earths motion around the sun |
Super-massive Black Hole | A black hole millions or billions of times the mass of our Sun found at the center of a galaxy |