STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS
STARS
o A huge ball of gas held together by gravity. The central core of a star is
extremely hot and produces energy. Some of this energy is released as visible
light, which makes the star glow.
o Stars form when clouds of gases (mainly hydrogen) are pulled together by
gravitational forces.
o Atomic explosions occur inside stars.
o They are so hot inside that they emit heat and light.
Characteristics of Stars
dwarf
STARS AND THEIR SIZES
medium
o Stars can have different sizes.
o Some stars are similar in size to the earth, they're
called dwarf-stars. giant
o When stars are bigger than earth, they're called
giant-stars.
o The Sun is an average star: it’s not hot or cool it’s
Super giant
not large or small.
o The Sun is larger than 95% of the stars.
Color and Temperature of Stars
Brightness of Stars
•Brightness is related to the distance from the
earth and the age of the star.
•Hipparchus developed the idea of classifying
stars by their brightness.
• 1st magnitude stars are the brightest
• 6th magnitude stars are the weakest
•Apparent Magnitude – refers to the
brightness of a star as it appears to us.
•Absolute Magnitude – refers to the actual
amount of light given off by a star at a standard
distance
How Stars
Form?
o A nebula is a large cloud of gas and dust spread out over a large volume
of space.
o Some nebulas are glowing clouds lit from within by bright stars.
o A star is formed when a contacting cloud of gas and dust becomes so
dense and hot that nuclear fusion begins.
A star’s fate depends on
its mass
o A star with a mass similar to the sun’s will become a white dwarf.
o A star with a mass eight or more times greater than the sun’s will either become a black hole
or a neutron star.
o Stars are born in a glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dust (mostly hydrogen), called a nebula.
o Gravity causes every atom and every bit of dust to pull on every other one and all move to the center, causing the
protostar to collapse.
o Because the atoms move faster and faster as they fall toward the center, friction is created as they rub together and
the temperature rises.
o Heat causes the protostar to glow in with its own light, giving off even more light than our Sun even though it is
not nearly as hot.
o When a temperature of about 27,000,000°F is reached, nuclear fusion begins. This is the nuclear reaction in which
hydrogen atoms are converted to helium atoms plus energy. This energy (radiation) production prevents further
contraction of the star.
o The protostar is now a stable main sequence star which will remain in this state for about 10 billion years. After
that, the hydrogen fuel is depleted and the star begins to die.
The Death of a Star
• The dwindling supply of fuel in a star’s core leads to the star’s death as a white dwarf, neutron star, or
black hole
Constellations
•The patterns of stars seen in the sky are usually called constellations, although more accurately, a group
of stars that forms a pattern in the sky is called an asterism. Astronomers use the term constellation to refer
to an area of the sky.
•The International Astronomical Union (IAU) divides the sky into 88 official constellations with exact
boundaries, so that every place in the sky belongs within a constellation. Most of the constellations in the
Northern Hemisphere are based on the constellations invented by the ancient Greeks, while most in the
Southern Hemisphere are based on names given to them by seventeenth century European explorers.
Northern
Hemisphere
Cygnus/Swan
Cassiopeia the Queen
Canis Major
Orion/ The Hunter
Southern Hemisphere
Carina
Centaurus
