Stars Mr. Skirbst Physical Science Topic 25

Stars Composition: - determined by spectral analysis - hydrogen (60 – 80%) - helium (20 – 30%) - other (O, C, Ne, N)

Star size Supergiants * 1,000x size of the sun (ex. Rigel)

Star size Giants * x size of the sun (ex. Aldebaran)

Star size Medium (Main-Sequence) * same size of the sun (ex. Sun, Sirius)

Star size White Dwarfs * smaller than the Earth (ex. Van Maanens)

Star size Neutrons * only several kilometers in diameter * a teaspoon would have a mass greater than the entire Earth!

Relative Star Sizes Giant Star Neutron White dwarf Medium-sized Supergiant

Star temperature Color of star can help determine the surface temperature of stars COLORTEMP (oC) Blue35,000 White10,000 Yellow6,000 Red-Orange5,000 Red3,000

Star brightness Absolute brightness (magnitude) - light actually given off Apparent brightness (magnitude) - light observed by someone

H-R Diagram Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram * Relates absolute magnitude and surface temperature of stars H-R DiagramH-R Diagram H-R Diagram AnimationH-R Diagram Animation

Star Distances Parallax Method

Parallax