1. Chapter 11 Surveying the Stars

2. How do we measure stellar luminosities?

3. Brightness of a star depends on both distance and luminosity

4. Luminosity: Amount of power a star radiates (energy per second = watts) Apparent brightness: Amount of starlight that reaches Earth (energy per second per square meter)

5. Thought Question These two stars have about the same luminosity— which one appears brighter? A. Alpha Centauri B. The Sun

6. Thought Question These two stars have about the same luminosity— which one appears brighter? A. Alpha Centauri B. The Sun

7. Luminosity passing through each sphere is the same Area of sphere: 4π (radius) 2 Divide luminosity by area to get brightness.

8. The relationship between apparent brightness and luminosity depends on distance: Luminosity Brightness = 4π (distance) 2 We can determine a star’s luminosity if we can measure its distance and apparent brightness: Luminosity = 4π (distance) 2  (Brightness)

9. Thought Question How would the apparent brightness of Alpha Centauri change if it were three times farther away? A. It would be only 1/3 as bright. B. It would be only 1/6 as bright. C. It would be only 1/9 as bright. D. It would be three times as bright.

10. Thought Question How would the apparent brightness of Alpha Centauri change if it were three times farther away? A. It would be only 1/3 as bright. B. It would be only 1/6 as bright. C. It would be only 1/9 as bright. D. It would be three times as bright.

11. So how far away are these stars?

12. Parallax is the apparent shift in position of a nearby object against a background of more distant objects. Introduction to Parallax

13. Apparent positions of the nearest stars shift by about an arcsecond as Earth orbits the Sun. Parallax of a Nearby Star

14. The parallax angle depends on distance. Parallax Angle as a Function of Distance

15. Parallax is measured by comparing snapshots taken at different times and measuring the shift in angle to star. Measuring Parallax Angle

17. Parallax and Distance

18. Most luminous stars: 10 6 L Sun Least luminous stars: 10 −4 L Sun (L Sun is luminosity of Sun)

19. The Magnitude Scale

20. How do we measure stellar temperatures?

21. Every object emits thermal radiation with a spectrum that depends on its temperature.

22. An object of fixed size grows more luminous as its temperature rises. Relationship Between Temperature and Luminosity

23. Properties of Thermal Radiation 1.Hotter objects emit more light per unit area at all frequencies. 2.Hotter objects emit photons with a higher average energy.

24. Hottest stars: 50,000 K Coolest stars: 3,000 K (Sun’s surface is 5,800 K)

25. Solid Molecules Neutral Gas Ionized Gas (Plasma) Level of ionization also reveals a star’s temperature. 10 K 10 2 K 10 3 K 10 4 K 10 5 K 10 6 K

26. Absorption lines in a star’s spectrum tell us its ionization level.

27. Lines in a star’s spectrum correspond to a spectral type that reveals its temperature: (Hottest) O B A F G K M (Coolest)

28. Remembering Spectral Types Oh, Be A Foolish Ghoul, Kick Monsters

29. Thought Question Which of the stars below is hottest? A. M star B. F star C. A star D. K star

30. Thought Question Which of the stars below is hottest? A. M star B. F star C. A star D. K star

31. Pioneers of Stellar Classification Annie Jump Cannon and the “calculators” at Harvard laid the foundation of modern stellar classification.

32. How do we measure stellar masses?

33. Orbit of a binary star system depends on strength of gravity

34. Types of Binary Star Systems Visual binary Eclipsing binary Spectroscopic binary About half of all stars are in binary systems.

35. Visual Binary We can directly observe the orbital motions of these stars.

36. Eclipsing Binary We can measure periodic eclipses. Exploring the Light Curve of an Eclipsing Binary Star System

37. Spectroscopic Binary We determine the orbit by measuring Doppler shifts.

38. Isaac Newton We measure mass using gravity. Direct mass measurements are possible only for stars in binary star systems. p = period a = average separation p 2 = a 3 4π 2 G (M 1 + M 2 )

39. Need two out of three observables to measure mass: 1.Orbital period (p) 2.Orbital separation (a or r = radius) 3.Orbital velocity (v) For circular orbits, v = 2  r / p r M v

40. Most massive stars: 100 M Sun Least massive stars: 0.08 M Sun (M Sun is the mass of the Sun.)

41. What is a Hertzsprung–Russell diagram?

42. Temperature Luminosity An H-R diagram plots the luminosities and temperatures of stars.

43. Generating an H-R Diagram

44. Most stars fall somewhere on the main sequence of the H-R diagram.

45. Stars with lower T and higher L than main- sequence stars must have larger radii: giants and supergiants Large radius

46. Stellar Luminosity How can two stars have the same temperature, but vastly different luminosities? The luminosity of a star depends on 2 things: surface temperature surface area (radius) L =  T 4 4  R 2 The stars have different sizes!! The largest stars are in the upper right corner of the H-R Diagram.

47. Small radius Stars with higher T and lower L than main-sequence stars must have smaller radii: white dwarfs

48. A star’s full classification includes spectral type (line identities) and luminosity class (line shapes, related to the size of the star): I— supergiant II — bright giant III — giant IV — subgiant V — main sequence Examples:Sun — G2 V Sirius — A1 V Proxima Centauri — M5.5 V Betelgeuse — M2 I

49. Temperature Luminosity H-R diagram depicts: Temperature Color Spectral type Luminosity Radius

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

58. What is the significance of the main sequence?

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

60. Mass measurements of main-sequence stars show that the hot, blue stars are much more massive than the cool, red ones. High-mass stars Low-mass stars

61. The mass of a normal, hydrogen-burning star determines its luminosity and spectral type! High-mass stars Low-mass stars

62. The core pressure and temperature of a higher-mass star need to be higher in order to balance gravity. A higher core temperature boosts the fusion rate, leading to greater luminosity. Hydrostatic Equilibrium

63. Stellar Properties Review Luminosity: from brightness and distance 10 −4 L Sun –10 6 L Sun Temperature: from color and spectral type 3,000 K – 50,000 K Mass: from period (p) and average separation (a) of binary-star orbit 0.08 M Sun – 100 M Sun

64. Stellar Properties Review (Main Sequence) Luminosity: from brightness and distance 10 −4 L Sun – 10 6 L Sun Temperature: from color and spectral type 3,000 K – 50,000 K Mass: from period (p) and average separation (a) of binary-star orbit 0.08 M Sun – 100 M Sun (0.08 M Sun ) (100 M Sun ) (0.08 M Sun )

65. Mass and Lifetime Sun’s life expectancy: 10 billion years

66. Mass and Lifetime Sun’s life expectancy: 10 billion years Until core hydrogen (10% of total) is used up

67. Mass and Lifetime Sun’s life expectancy: 10 billion years Life expectancy of a 10 M Sun star: 10 times as much fuel, uses it 10 4 times as fast 10 million years ~ 10 billion years  10/10 4 Until core hydrogen (10% of total) is used up

68. Mass and Lifetime Sun’s life expectancy: 10 billion years Life expectancy of a 10 M Sun star: 10 times as much fuel, uses it 10 4 times as fast 10 million years ~ 10 billion years  10/10 4 Life expectancy of a 0.1 M Sun star: 0.1 times as much fuel, uses it 0.01 times as fast 100 billion years ~ 10 billion years  0.1/0.01 Until core hydrogen (10% of total) is used up

69. Main-Sequence Star Summary High-mass: High luminosity Short-lived Large radius Blue Low-mass: Low luminosity Long-lived Small radius Red

70. What are giants, supergiants, and white dwarfs?

71. Off the Main Sequence Stellar properties depend on both mass and age: those that have finished fusing H to He in their cores are no longer on the main sequence. All stars become larger and redder after exhausting their core hydrogen: giants and supergiants. Most stars end up small and white after fusion has ceased: white dwarfs.

72. Relationship between Main-Sequence Stellar Masses and Location on H-R Diagram

73. Main-sequence stars (to scale)Giants, supergiants, white dwarfs

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

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

76. Temperature Luminosity Which of these stars will have changed the least 10 billion years from now? A B C D

77. Temperature Luminosity Which of these stars will have changed the least 10 billion years from now? C A B C D

78. Temperature Luminosity Which of these stars can be no more than 10 million years old? A B C D

79. Temperature Luminosity Which of these stars can be no more than 10 million years old? A A B C D

80. What are the two types of star clusters?

81. Open cluster: A few thousand loosely packed stars

82. Globular cluster: Up to a million or more stars in a dense ball bound together by gravity

83. How do we measure the age of a star cluster?

84. Massive blue stars die first, followed by white, yellow, orange, and red stars. Visual Representation of a Star Cluster Evolving

85. Pleiades now has no stars with life expectancy less than around 100 million years. Main-sequence turnoff

86. The main- sequence turnoff point of a cluster tells us its age.

87. To determine accurate ages, we compare models of stellar evolution to the cluster data. Using the H-R Diagram to Determine the Age of a Star Cluster

88. Detailed modeling of the oldest globular clusters reveals that they are about 13 billion years old.