08 Stars, Constellations, and Asterisms Flashcards
A star is
a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity.
Stars that are more massive than our Sun (i.e. 10 times more larger) will become a….
Once fusion stops, the ——- will have its contents collapse on its self under its own gravity. The outer layers of the star explode outwards – known as…
red supergiant. a supernova.
If a star’s initial mass was:
between 10 and 30 solar masses
a neutron star is formed – an extremely dense star composed of tightly packed neutrons.
If a star’s initial mass was:
greater than 30 solar masses
a black hole is formed – a quantity of matter so dense and gravity so strong that not even light can escape.
Constellation:
How many officially recognized constellations are there?
a group of stars that seem to form a distinctive pattern in the sky.
There are 88 officially recognized constellations
Asterisms (+example):
smaller groups of stars that form patterns within a constellation
i.e. the Big Dipper (an asterism) is part of the constellation Ursa Major
The constellations you can see depend on…
your latitude as well as the time of night and time of year