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Stars
What is a star?
• The objects that heat and light the
planets in a system
• A star is a ball of plasma held
together by its own gravity
–Nuclear reactions occur in stars (H
 He)
–Energy from the nuclear reactions
is released as electromagnetic
radiation
Characteristics of Stars
• DISTANCE
–Measured in light-years
• The distance which a ray of light
would travel in one year
• About 6,000,000,000,000 (6 trillion)
miles
• 186,000 miles per second
Characteristics of Stars
• Magnitude (brightness)
–A measure of brightness of celestial
objects
• Smaller values represent brighter objects
than larger values
–Apparent magnitude
• How bright a star appears to be from Earth
–Absolute magnitude (luminosity)
• How bright a star actually is
Characteristics of Stars
• Temperature & Color
–The color of a star indicates the
Temperature of the star
–Stars are classified by Temperature
• Decreasing T (bright to dim)
• O, B, A, F, G, K, M [Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss
Me ]
http://www.seasky.org/cosmic/sky7a01.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/stellar-classification
Types of Stars
Classification
Class Temperature Color
O 20,000- 60,000 K Blue
B 10,000 – 30,000 K Blue-white
A 7,500 – 10,000 K White
F 6,000 – 7,500 K Yellow-white
G 5,000 – 6,000 K Yellow
K 3,500 – 5,000 K Orange
M 2,000 – 3,500 K Red
Size
Astronomers measure the size of a given star
in terms of our own sun's radius. Thus, a star
that measure 1 solar radius would be the
same size as our sun. The star Rigel, which is
much larger than our sun, measures 78 solar
radii.
It shows the size of the Sun, the closest star to Earth, as
compared to some other stars we see at night. As we can see,
the Sun is so small compared to other nearby stars. Also, Sirius,
which appear bigger than Rigel, is actually very small compared to
Rigel. It appears larger only because it is closer to us.
Mass
A star's mass is also measured in terms of our own
sun, with 1 equal to the size of our sun. For
instance, Rigel, which is much larger than our sun,
has a mass of 3.5 solar masses.
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/stars/lifecycle/hrdiagram.gif
Main Sequence Stars
• A major grouping of stars that forms a
narrow band from the upper left to the
lower right when plotted according to
luminosity and surface temperature on the
Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
Life Cycle of Stars
http://hea-www.cfa.harvard.edu/CHAMP/EDUCATION/PUBLIC/ICONS/life_cycles.jpg
Life Cycle of Stars
• Begin their lives as clouds of dust and gas called
nebulae
• Gravity may cause the nebula to contract
• Matter in the gas cloud will begin to condense
into a dense region called a protostar
• The protostar continues to condense, it heats
up. Eventually, it reaches a critical mass and
nuclear fusion begins.
• Begins the main sequence phase of the star
• Most of its life is in this phase
Life Cycle of Stars
Life span of a star depends on its size.
– Very large, massive stars burn their fuel much
faster than smaller stars
– Their main sequence may last only a few
hundred thousand years
– Smaller stars will live on for billions of years
because they burn their fuel much more
slowly
• Eventually, the star's fuel will begin to run
out.
Life Cycle of Stars
• It will expand into what is known as a red
giant
• Massive stars will become red supergiants
• This phase will last until the star exhausts
its remaining fuel
• At this point the star will collapse
Life Cycle of Stars
• Most average stars will blow away their
outer atmospheres to form a planetary
nebula
• Their cores will remain behind and burn as
a white dwarf until they cool down
• What will be left is a dark ball of matter
known as a black dwarf
Life Cycle of Stars
• If the star is massive enough, the collapse
will trigger a violent explosion known as a
supernova
• If the remaining mass of the star is about
1.4 times that of our Sun, the core is
unable to support itself and it will collapse
further to become a neutron star
Life Cycle of Stars
• The matter inside the star will be
compressed so tightly that its atoms are
compacted into a dense shell of neutrons.
If the remaining mass of the star is more
than about three times that of the Sun, it
will collapse so completely that it will
literally disappear from the universe. What
is left behind is an intense region of gravity
called a black hole
Life Cycle of Stars
http://www.seasky.org/cosmic/sky7a01.html
What is a Constellation?
A constellation is any group of stars
forming a recognizable pattern that is
traditionally named after its apparent
form or identified with a mythological
figure. Modern astronomers divide the
sky into eighty-eight constellations
with defined boundaries.
CONSTELLATIONS
RATS
STAR
SLOAR TYMSES
SOLAR SYSTEM
Stars2.ppt
Stars2.ppt
Stars2.ppt
Stars2.ppt

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Stars2.ppt

  • 2. What is a star? • The objects that heat and light the planets in a system • A star is a ball of plasma held together by its own gravity –Nuclear reactions occur in stars (H  He) –Energy from the nuclear reactions is released as electromagnetic radiation
  • 3. Characteristics of Stars • DISTANCE –Measured in light-years • The distance which a ray of light would travel in one year • About 6,000,000,000,000 (6 trillion) miles • 186,000 miles per second
  • 4. Characteristics of Stars • Magnitude (brightness) –A measure of brightness of celestial objects • Smaller values represent brighter objects than larger values –Apparent magnitude • How bright a star appears to be from Earth –Absolute magnitude (luminosity) • How bright a star actually is
  • 5. Characteristics of Stars • Temperature & Color –The color of a star indicates the Temperature of the star –Stars are classified by Temperature • Decreasing T (bright to dim) • O, B, A, F, G, K, M [Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me ] http://www.seasky.org/cosmic/sky7a01.html
  • 7. Types of Stars Classification Class Temperature Color O 20,000- 60,000 K Blue B 10,000 – 30,000 K Blue-white A 7,500 – 10,000 K White F 6,000 – 7,500 K Yellow-white G 5,000 – 6,000 K Yellow K 3,500 – 5,000 K Orange M 2,000 – 3,500 K Red
  • 8.
  • 9. Size Astronomers measure the size of a given star in terms of our own sun's radius. Thus, a star that measure 1 solar radius would be the same size as our sun. The star Rigel, which is much larger than our sun, measures 78 solar radii.
  • 10. It shows the size of the Sun, the closest star to Earth, as compared to some other stars we see at night. As we can see, the Sun is so small compared to other nearby stars. Also, Sirius, which appear bigger than Rigel, is actually very small compared to Rigel. It appears larger only because it is closer to us.
  • 11. Mass A star's mass is also measured in terms of our own sun, with 1 equal to the size of our sun. For instance, Rigel, which is much larger than our sun, has a mass of 3.5 solar masses.
  • 13. Main Sequence Stars • A major grouping of stars that forms a narrow band from the upper left to the lower right when plotted according to luminosity and surface temperature on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
  • 14. Life Cycle of Stars http://hea-www.cfa.harvard.edu/CHAMP/EDUCATION/PUBLIC/ICONS/life_cycles.jpg
  • 15. Life Cycle of Stars • Begin their lives as clouds of dust and gas called nebulae • Gravity may cause the nebula to contract • Matter in the gas cloud will begin to condense into a dense region called a protostar • The protostar continues to condense, it heats up. Eventually, it reaches a critical mass and nuclear fusion begins. • Begins the main sequence phase of the star • Most of its life is in this phase
  • 16. Life Cycle of Stars Life span of a star depends on its size. – Very large, massive stars burn their fuel much faster than smaller stars – Their main sequence may last only a few hundred thousand years – Smaller stars will live on for billions of years because they burn their fuel much more slowly • Eventually, the star's fuel will begin to run out.
  • 17. Life Cycle of Stars • It will expand into what is known as a red giant • Massive stars will become red supergiants • This phase will last until the star exhausts its remaining fuel • At this point the star will collapse
  • 18. Life Cycle of Stars • Most average stars will blow away their outer atmospheres to form a planetary nebula • Their cores will remain behind and burn as a white dwarf until they cool down • What will be left is a dark ball of matter known as a black dwarf
  • 19. Life Cycle of Stars • If the star is massive enough, the collapse will trigger a violent explosion known as a supernova • If the remaining mass of the star is about 1.4 times that of our Sun, the core is unable to support itself and it will collapse further to become a neutron star
  • 20. Life Cycle of Stars • The matter inside the star will be compressed so tightly that its atoms are compacted into a dense shell of neutrons. If the remaining mass of the star is more than about three times that of the Sun, it will collapse so completely that it will literally disappear from the universe. What is left behind is an intense region of gravity called a black hole
  • 21. Life Cycle of Stars http://www.seasky.org/cosmic/sky7a01.html
  • 22.
  • 23. What is a Constellation? A constellation is any group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries.
  • 25.