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ELL Earth Sci 27.1/2

Star Characteristics & Evolution

TermDefinition
star a body of gas that gives off a tremendous amount of radiant energy in the form of light and heat
circumpolar describing any star that is always visible in the night sky and, from the Northern Hemisphere, can be seen circling Polaris
Polaris the north star, which is found at the tip of the tail of the Little Dipper (Ursa minor)
parallax a method of determining the distance from the Earth to star based upon the shift of apparent position when viewed from angles
magnitude the brightness of a star
apparent magnitude brightness of a star as it appears from the Earth
absolute magnitude brightness of a star as it would appear if located 32.6 light-years from Earth
parsec a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to about 3.26 light-years
H-R Diagram Hertzsprung-Russell diagram; graph showing the relationship of surface temperature and absolute magnitude of a star
nebula dark cloud of gas and dust in space; 1st stage in the evolution of a star, which results in a protostar
main sequence star star with characteristics that place it within a band running through the middle of a the H-R Diagram; 2nd stage in the evolution of a star
red giant / red supergiant very large star resulting from its using up its hydrogen for fusion, collapsing, heating and expansion; 3rd stage in the evolution of a star
white dwarfs small, very hot star resulting from a giant star, which collapses due to lack of fusion and loses its outer layers; 4th stage in the evolution of a star
plasma 4th state of matter; found inside a star where the gases are so heated that they lose their electrons are torn from the parent atom and float freely
nuclear fusion the squeezing of atomic nuclei together due to extensive heat and pressure; usually hydrogen atoms are converted to helium inside the star's core
planetary nebula expanding shell of gases shed by a dying star
nova white dwarf star that explodes as it cools, temporarily becoming thousands of times brighter
supernova star that blows apart with a tremendous explosion
neutron star collapsed core of a supernova consisting of a small, extremely dense ball of neutrons
pulsar neutron star that spin and emit two beams of radiation that sweep across space
black hole hole in space with a gravity so great that not even light can escape; formed by the collapse of a very large supernova
Created by: Jesse Wayland
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