A close-up look at distant stars

Formation of the Universe Big Bang Theory: the theory that states the universe began with a tremendous explosion 13.7 billion years ago. “According to the theory, all the contents of the universe was compressed under extreme pressure, temperature, and density in a very tiny spot. With rapid expansion, matter started coming together to form galaxies. “

The Galaxy Galaxy: a collection of stars, dust and gas bound together by gravity. Types of galaxies: Spiral: bulge at the center and spiral arms Elliptical: looks like a large “blob” of stars (1/3 of galaxies are elliptical) Irregular: undefined shape; the “others” category

Which Galaxy do we live in? The Milky Way Galaxy!

Patterns in the Sky Constellation: a region of the sky that contains a recognizable star pattern and that is used to describe the location of objects in space.

How bright is that star? Apparent magnitude: the brightness of a star as seen from the Earth. Based on Vega Absolute magnitude: the brightness that a star would have at a distance of 32.6 light-years from earth.

Distance to the Stars Parallax: an apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from different locations. Try this Quick Lab! Hold your thumb in front of your face at arm’s length. Close on eye, and focus on an object some distance behind your thumb. Slowly turn your head side to side a small amount. Notice how your thumb seems to be moving compared with the background you are looking at? Now, move your thumb close to your face and move your head the same amount. Does your thumb seem to move more? Click here to see Stellar Parallax!

Life and Death of a Star Nebula: a large cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space; a region in space where stars are born or where stars explode at the end of their lives.

When Stars get old Supernova: a gigantic explosion in which a massive star collapses and throws its outer layers into space. Which becomes a neutron star. And if the neutron star is spinning, it forms a…. Pulsar: a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits rapid pulses of radio and optical energy. Sometimes the leftovers from a supernova are so big that they collapse to form a…… Black hole: an object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity.

What about our sun?

White Dwarf, Supernova, or Black hole? Click the picture below to see what happens to stars of different sizes at the end of their life!