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13.7: Key Terms

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    Stellar Finale Key Terms

    • cataclysmic variable: a binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a secondary star that is transferring mass, resulting in irregular increases in brightness
    • degenerate gas: a gas that resists further compression because no two electrons can be in the same place at the same time doing the same thing (Pauli exclusion principle)
    • neutron star: a type of compact star that is composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are a type of subatomic particle with no electrical charge
    • nova: the sudden, temporary appearance of what appears to be a new star that fades over time
    • pulsar: a variable radio source of small physical size that emits very rapid radio pulses in very regular periods that range from fractions of a second to several seconds; now understood to be a rotating, magnetic neutron star that is energetic enough to produce a detectable beam of radiation and particles
    • supernova: the explosion of a massive star, resulting in a sharp increase in its brightness followed by gradual fading over weeks or months
    • type Ia supernova: an explosion that occurs in a binary star system when the material from the other star overwhelms a white dwarf
    • type II supernova: a stellar explosion produced at the endpoint of the evolution of stars whose mass exceeds roughly 10 times the mass of the Sun
    • white dwarf: a low-mass star that has exhausted most or all of its nuclear fuel and has collapsed to a very small size; such a star is near its final state of life

    13.7: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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