1. 11.2 Classifying Stars Our Goals for Learning
• How do we classify stars?
Why is a star’s mass its most important property?
What is a Hertzsprung–Russell diagram?

2. What is the stellar Main Sequence?

3. Most of the brightest stars are reddish in color
Color and luminosity are closely related among the remaining “normal” stars

4. Main-sequence stars (like the Sun) are fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores
Luminous main-sequence stars are hot (blue)
Less luminous ones are cooler (yellow or red)

5. L=Area × T4 L=4πr2 × T4 Why are some red stars so much more luminous?
They’re bigger!
L = Luminosity
T = Temperature
L=Area × T4
L=4πr2 × T4
(page 312)
Biggest red stars:
1000 Rsun
Smallest red stars:
0.1 RSun
(Ranking Task)

6. Which star is the least luminous?B C D E F
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7. Which star is the most luminous?B C D E F
:00

8. Temperatures and sizes of stars

9. Laws of Thermal Radiation
1) Hotter objects emit more light per area at all wavelengths
2) Hotter objects tend to emit light at shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies

10. L=Area × T4 L=4πr2 × T4 Why are some red stars so much more luminous?
They’re bigger!
L = Luminosity
T = Temperature
L=Area × T4
L=4πr2 × T4
(page 312)
Biggest red stars:
1000 Rsun
Smallest red stars:
0.1 RSun
(Ranking Task)

11. Activity 10, Part II (pages 32-34, questions 6-15)

12. 6) Stars E and F in Figure 2a are the same size
6) Stars E and F in Figure 2a are the same size. Which gives off more red light? E F
Both give off the same amount of red light
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13. 7) Stars E and F in Figure 2a are the same size
7) Stars E and F in Figure 2a are the same size. Which gives off more blue light? E F
Both give off the same amount of blue light
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14. 8) Which star from Figure 2a looks red, and which looks blue?
E looks blue and F looks red
E looks red and F looks blue
Both look red
Both look blue
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15. 11) In Figure 2b, how must star C be different from star E to account for their difference in energy output?
Star C must be cooler than Star E
Star C must be smaller than Star E
Both 1 and 2
Either 1 or 2
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16. Laws of Thermal Radiation
1) Hotter objects emit more light per area at all wavelengths
2) Hotter objects tend to emit light at shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies

17. 14) In Figure 2c, which star has the higher surface temperature?
Star D
Star E
Both have the same temperature
:00

18. Laws of Thermal Radiation
1) Hotter objects emit more light per area at all wavelengths
2) Hotter objects tend to emit light at shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies

19. 15) In Figure 2c, which star is larger?
Star D
Star E
Both are the same size
:00

20. How do we classify stars?

21. Most of the brightest stars are reddish in color
Color and luminosity are closely related among the remaining “normal” stars

22. Main-sequence stars (like the Sun) are fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores
Luminous main-sequence stars are hot (blue)
Less luminous ones are cooler (yellow or red)

23. Properties of Main Sequence Stars - Review
Luminosity: from brightness and distance
10-4 LSun LSun
Temperature: from color and spectral type
2,000 K ,000 K
Mass: from period (p) and average separation (a)
of binary-star orbit
0.08 MSun MSun

24. Main Sequence Stellar Properties Review
Luminosity: from brightness and distance
10-4 LSun LSun
Temperature: from color and spectral type
2,000 K ,000 K
Mass: from period (p) and average separation (a)
of binary-star orbit
0.08 MSun MSun
(0.08 MSun)
(150 MSun)
(0.08 MSun)
(150 MSun)

25. Each star’s properties depend mostly on mass and age

26. Why is a star’s mass its most important property?

27. Core pressure and temperature of a higher-mass star need to be larger in order to balance gravity
Higher core temperature boosts fusion rate, leading to larger luminosity

28. A star’s mass largely determines how much light it gives off (its luminosity) and for how long it will shine (its lifetime).

29. What can we learn about stars from a Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram?

30. An H-R diagram plots the luminosity versus temperature of stars

31. Generate_hr_diagr.swf

32. Normal hydrogen-
fusing stars reside on the main sequence of the H-R diagram

33. Stars with low temperature and high luminosity must have large radius
Small radius

34. Stellar_mass_and_hr_diagr.swf

35. H-R diagram depicts: Temperature, Colour, Luminosity, Radius,
Spectral Type
*Mass
*Lifespan
*Age
Luminosity
Temperature

36. Which star is the hottest?B
Which star is the hottest?
Luminosity D A
Temperature

37. Which star is the hottest?B C D
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38. C C B
Which star is the hottest? B A
Luminosity D D A A
Temperature

39. Which star is the most luminous?B
Which star is the most luminous?
Luminosity D A
Temperature

40. Which star is the most luminous?B C D
:10

41. C B
Which star is the most luminous? C
Luminosity D A
Temperature

42. Which star is a main-sequence star?B
Which star is a main-sequence star?
Luminosity D A
Temperature

43. Which star is a main sequence star?B C D
:10

44. C B
Which star is a main-sequence star? D
Luminosity D A
Temperature

45. Which star has the largest radius?B
Which star has the largest radius?
Luminosity D A
Temperature

46. Which star has the largest radius?B C D
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47. C B
Which star has the largest radius? C
Luminosity D A
Temperature

48. Which star is most like our Sun?D
Luminosity B C
Temperature

49. Which star is most like our Sun?B C D
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50. A
Which star is most like our Sun? D B
Luminosity B C
Temperature

51. What have we learned? • How do we classify stars?
We classify stars according to their spectral type and luminosity class.
The spectral type tells us the star’s surface temperature
The luminosity class how much light it puts out.
• Why is a star’s mass its most important property?
A star’s mass at birth determines virtually everything that happens to it throughout its life.

52. What have we learned? • What is a Hertzsprung- Russell diagram?
An H–R diagram plots stars according to their surface temperatures and luminosities.

53. Activity #9, questions 10-15, pages 29-30

54. 10) Which star is larger, star S or star T?
They are the same size
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55. 11) Which star is larger, star S or star X?
They are the same size
Cannot answer with information given
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56. 12) Which star is larger, star X or star Y?
They are the same size
Cannot answer with information given
:10

57. 14) Star Z has the same luminosity as star W but is smaller than star W. It could be located…
Between S and X
Between T and Y
Between S and T
Between X and Y
1 or 2 above
3 or 4 above
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58. 15) Star S has a temperature twice as high as star W does
15) Star S has a temperature twice as high as star W does. Using L=4πR2T4, which star is larger: star S or star W?
Star S
Star W
They are the same size
:10