17.10.1: Review Questions
Review Questions
What two factors determine how bright a star appears to be in the sky?
2.
Explain why color is a measure of a star’s temperature.
3.
What is the main reason that the spectra of all stars are not identical? Explain.
4.
What elements are stars mostly made of? How do we know this?
5.
What did Annie Cannon contribute to the understanding of stellar spectra?
6.
Name five characteristics of a star that can be determined by measuring its spectrum. Explain how you would use a spectrum to determine these characteristics.
7.
How do objects of spectral types L, T, and Y differ from those of the other spectral types?
8.
Do stars that look brighter in the sky have larger or smaller magnitudes than fainter stars?
9.
The star Antares has an apparent magnitude of 1.0, whereas the star Procyon has an apparent magnitude of 0.4. Which star appears brighter in the sky?
10.
Based on their colors, which of the following stars is hottest? Which is coolest? Archenar (blue), Betelgeuse (red), Capella (yellow).
11.
Order the seven basic spectral types from hottest to coldest.
12.
What is the defining difference between a brown dwarf and a true star?