Define Fusion Fusion is the combining of lighter atomic nuclei to make heavier atomic nuclei and energy. In the Sun, hydrogen is fused together to make helium.

Define Fission Fission is the opposite of fusion Define Fission Fission is the opposite of fusion. It is the splitting of heavy atomic nuclei into smaller atomic nuclei and energy.

How many Jupiter's would it take side by side to go across the Sun? 10

How many Jupiter's would it take to fill the Sun? 100

What percent of the solar system does the Sun’s mass make up? 99%

What are the three layers of the Sun’s atmosphere. 1. Photosphere 2 What are the three layers of the Sun’s atmosphere? 1. Photosphere 2. Chromosphere 3. Corona

Which layer of the Sun’s atmosphere can you see? Photosphere

Which layer of the Sun’s atmosphere is the outer most layer? Corona

Which layer of the Sun’s atmosphere is the thickest and the hottest Which layer of the Sun’s atmosphere is the thickest and the hottest? Corona

Which layer of the Sun’s atmosphere is in the middle? Chromosphere

What are the violent eruptions of particles of radiation? Solar flares

What is the arc of gas that is ejected from What is the arc of gas that is ejected from the photosphere and rains back to the surface? Prominence

Where does the fusion process take place? In the Sun’s (stars) core

What formula describes the energy-mass conversions for a stars fusion What formula describes the energy-mass conversions for a stars fusion? E = M C^2

What is the density found at the Sun’s core and how does it compare to lead? 150 g/cm^3 or 1.5 X 10^5 13 times more dense than lead

How much longer will the Sun last? About 5 billion years

What is the hydrogen turned into during the fusion process? Helium

How is it possible for the Sun’s core to be 13 times more dense than lead, but still be in a gaseous state? The temperatures are so high! (27 million degrees F)

List and describe the three different types of spectra. 1. Continuous List and describe the three different types of spectra? 1. Continuous a) No breaks between the wavelengths b) As seen through a prism, no gas 2. Emission a) See particular wavelength bands b) As seen from a non compressed gas 3. Absorption a) See dark bands along spectrum b) As seen coming through a cool gas

What is the Sunspot cycle? About 11 (11.2) years

What is the Sunspot cycle if you take into account the flipping of the Sun’s magnetic field? About 22 (22.4) years

What is the percent hydrogen and Helium in the Sun. Hydrogen = 73 What is the percent hydrogen and Helium in the Sun? Hydrogen = 73.4% Helium = 25%

What is a group of stars that form a “picture”? Constellatiion

Why can’t you see some constellations like Orion all year long Why can’t you see some constellations like Orion all year long? As the Earth orbits the Sun, you can’t see the constellations on the other side of the Sun because the Sun is too bright to see stars during the day.

What are the Zodiac constellations What are the Zodiac constellations? These are the 12 constellations that mark where the Sun, Moon and planets appear to pass through, throughout the Year.

Are all of the stars within a constellation next to each other Are all of the stars within a constellation next to each other? No, the stars can vary greatly in distance to Earth, but we can’t visually distinguish the difference in depth so they only appear to be next to each other.

What do you call it when 2 stars are gravitationally bound to each other? Binaries

How common are Binaries How common are Binaries? Over half of the stars you see are actually binaries.

What is a Doppler shift? As energy moves towards an observer the waves compress (gets shorter) and shifts to the color blue. As energy moves away from an observer, the waves elongate and shift to the longer color red.

What color shift do we see when we look at most galaxies and why What color shift do we see when we look at most galaxies and why? We see a red shift, because the Universe is expanding.

Why can’t we tell with the naked eye if a star is a binary Why can’t we tell with the naked eye if a star is a binary? They are two far away (for our eyes to resolve the one image as two points of light).

What is the name of the process of determining the distance to a star based on the shift of its image throughout the course of the year? Parallax

Describe how the parallax process works Describe how the parallax process works? As the Earth orbits the Sun, our view of a give star shifts. The more it appears to shift, the closer the star is.

What is the measure of a stars brightness? Magnitude

What are the two types of magnitude? Absolute and Apparent Magnitude

What is apparent magnitude? How bright a star appears to be.

What is parsec? 3.26 ly

What is absolute magnitude What is absolute magnitude? How bright it actually is based on size and temperature at a distance of 10 pc (32.6 light years).

What is the measure of a stars brightness? Magnitude

Define Luminosity The measure of a stars energy output per second.

Why do the planets orbit the Sun Why do the planets orbit the Sun? The Sun’s gravitational pull keeps the planets from flying out of the solar system.

The magnetic storms that are cooler areas on the Sun’s surface are known as what? Sun spots

How is Einstein’s theory of Relativity expressed and what do the letters mean? E = M C^2 E = energy M = Mass C = the speed of light and its squared

What is a circumpolar constellation What is a circumpolar constellation? A constellation that is close to Polaris and can be seen all year round.

What is the difference between apparent and absolute magnitude What is the difference between apparent and absolute magnitude? Apparent magnitude is how bright a star appears, and absolute magnitude is how bright the star actually is.

What are the two main ingredients for a star? Hydrogen and helium

What are the spectral classes for the stars What are the spectral classes for the stars? O, B, A, F, G, K and M and each class can range from 0 to 9.

How does the spectral class relate to the stars temperature How does the spectral class relate to the stars temperature? The O stars have the highest temperature (50,000 K) and gets progressively cooler down to the M stars (2,000 K).

What is the spectral class and surface temperature in Kelvin for the Sun? G2 5,800 K

Give all of the information possible about the Sun from the HR diagram (not in ESRTs ) Spectral Class = G2 Temperature = 5,800 Color = yellow Type = Main Sequence Luminosity = 1

Which is the hottest spectral class?

What two things determine the Temperature and Hydrostatic equilibrium What two things determine the Temperature and Hydrostatic equilibrium? The mass and composition of the star

Name 2 things that the temperature of a star will determine The luminosity and rate of nuclear reactions.

Most stars in the galaxy are in what group? Main sequence

Define Hydrostatic equilibrium The balance between the outward explosive force of a nuclear reaction, and the pull inward due to gravity. This makes the spherical shape of a star.

What does every star start out as What does every star start out as? A nebulae (collection of hydrogen gas)

Describe the first stages of life that all stars go through to become a star. The nebulae collapses upon itself and rotates. As it continues to contract it gains pressure and temperature until fusion begins

What does the rest of the stars cycle (after the birth) depend on What does the rest of the stars cycle (after the birth) depend on? Its mass

How long does an average size star like the Sun last? 10 billion years

What is the final stage of a large (not the largest) star What is the final stage of a large (not the largest) star? A supernovae  Neutron star

What happens to the largest stars at the end of their lives What happens to the largest stars at the end of their lives? They implode and become black holes

What is a black hole? A massive body in space that is so dense, that not even light can escape its gravitational pull.

List and describe the two main types of black holes List and describe the two main types of black holes? Stellar: made from a single giant star imploding Supermassive: found at the center of most galaxies.

What is at the center of our Galaxy? A super massive black hole

What do average and smaller size stars turn into at the end of their life cycle? Black Dwarfs

What is the next stage for a star like our Sun, and what will happen as a result? It will become a Red Giant (expanding greatly in size) and bake the inner planets.

What is the explosion of a neutron star called? Supernovae

What is the center of the Sun called? Core

What color do we see because the stars and galaxies are moving away from us? Red

How far away is the Sun from Earth? 93 million miles or 8 light minutes

What is the unit of distance from the Earth to the Sun called What is the unit of distance from the Earth to the Sun called? Astronomical Unit or AU

What is the unit of distance equal to 3.26 light years? Parsec

Which group of stars has the lowest luminosity? Dwarfs

Which color would a star be to signify the highest temperature? Blue

Which color would a star be to signify the lowest temperature? Red

Which color is the Sun? Yellow

How could a medium size star like the Sun appear to be brighter than a super giant? Because it is so close

What is the relationship between the magnitude number and brightness What is the relationship between the magnitude number and brightness? The lower the number the brighter it is.

Which star has a higher temperature, Spica or Barnard’s Star? Spica

Which star is Larger, Sirius or Deneb? Deneb

What group do most stars belong to? The Main Sequence

What is the temperature of Spica? 25,000 K

In what ways are Polaris and the Sun similar and in what ways are they different? Similar: Color and temperature Different: Size and luminosity

What group does Deneb belong to? Supergiants

How many days does it take the Sun to rotate? 27