Stars Characteristics

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What are the characteristics of a star?
Stars differ in…
Mass
Size
Temperature
Color
Luminosity
 Mass and Composition
A star is a massive ball of gases,
mainly hydrogen and helium.
Bigger stars have more mass, greater
gravity and are hotter than smaller
stars.
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 Star Energy
The enormous pressure and heat in a
star’s core converts matter into energy.
This reaction is called nuclear fusion
In nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms fuse
to form helium atoms.
During each step of the process, mass
is lost and energy is released.
 Star Energy cont.
The energy released causes the star (Sun) to
shine and gives the star its high temperature.

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 Star Temperature
Stars in the sky show tinges of different
colors which reveal the stars’ temperatures.
Blue: hottest
Yellow: medium temperature
Red: coolest

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 Classification of Stars
Color Surface Examples Spectral Class
temp (ºC)
Blue Above 30,000 10 Lacertae O
Blue-white 10,000 – 30,000 Rigel, Spica B
White 7,500 – 10,000 Vegas, Sirius A
Yellow-white 6,000 – 7,500 Canopus, F
Procyon
Yellow 5,000 – 6,000 Sun, Capella G
Orange 3,500 – 5,000 Arcturus, K
Aldebaran
Less than 3,500 Betelgeuse,
Red M
Antares
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 Star Luminosity/Brightness
The brightness of a star depends upon
the distance and its luminosity.
Apparent Brightness/Magnitude: a star’s
brightness as seen from Earth.
Absolute Brightness/Luminosity: the
actual brightness

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 Stop and Think
If person A has a pen flashlight and
person B has a mega flashlight and
both were standing at the front of the
classroom, which light would appear
brighter?
If person A (pen light) stood in the classroom and
person B (mega light) stood at the baseball fields
across the street, which light would appear brighter?
You cannot tell by looking in the sky how bright a star
truly is. The farther away the star is, the less bright it
will appear.
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The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
An H-R diagram plots stars according
to their luminosity and temperature.

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 Location of Stars on an H-R Diagram

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 Star Mass
Position on H-R depends on mass
The larger the amount of mass in a star,
the more luminous it is.

Giants: more mass, more luminous

Dwarfs: less mass, less luminous

During its lifetime a star will evolve on the

H-R diagram depending on its mass.
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