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Chapter 21
Stars, Galaxies and the Universe
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| apparent brightness | the brightness of a star as seen from Earth |
| absolute brightness | the brightness the star would have if it were a standard distance from Earth (must be calculated) |
| light-year | the distance that light travels in one year (9.5 million, million kilometers) |
| parallax | the apparent change in position of an object when you look at it from different locations |
| nebula | a large cloud of gas and dust that is spread out |
| protostar | a contracting cloud of gas and dust; beginnings of a star |
| supernova | the explosion of a super giant star |
| black hole | an object in space with enough gravity so strong that nothing, not even light can escape |
| Milky Way | the spiral galaxy that includes our solar system |
| constellation | an imaginary pattern of stars |
| Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (H-R diagram) | used to classify stars and how they change over time |