Stars

By: Terri Downs, Mary Fuson,

and Carrie Robison
 What Are Stars?

• Stars are balls of gas that release energy from inside

themselves.

• In order to be recognized as a star, it has to have two

characteristics:
– be self-bound by gravity,
– it has to radiate energy.
 How are Stars Formed?
• They are formed in space in large clouds of gas and
dust called nebulae.
• Atoms inside the nebula accelerate inward due to the
force of gravity and they collide rapidly with each
other, causing the center of the nebula to become
very dense and hot, causing the temperature of the
protostar to rise.
• The object switches to become a “true star” and it is
then able to make its own heat and light.
• The life of the star then depends on its mass.
 Colors of Stars
• The color of a star measures its temperature.
– Red=the coolest,
– Yellow=an intermediate
temperature,
– Blue=the hottest temperature
• A star can appear bright just
because it is really bright,
or because of its closeness to
the Earth.
 Color and Temperature of
selected stars
Star Color Surface Temperature in
Celcius

Proxima Centuari Red 2,300

Epsilon Iridani Orange 4,600

Sun Yellow 5,700

Vega White 9,900

Sirius White 10,000

Alnilam Blue 27,000

• The brightness of a star as seen from the
Earth depends on two factors:
1. The distance
2. The actual brightness (or absolute
brightness) of the star
• The star’s brightness as seen from the
Earth is its apparent brightness.

Apparent brightness- the star’s brightness

as seen from Earth
Absolute brightness- A star’s absolute
brightness is the brightness the star would
have if all stars were the same standard
from the Earth.