astrophysics Flashcards
characteristics of a comet
- orbit stars
- comet tails point away from the star
- comet orbits are very elliptical
characteristics of a planet
- mildly elliptical/circular orbit
- orbit stars
- constant orbital speed
what is a satellite
anything that orbits a planet (artificial or natural)
how does gravitational field strength vary
according to mass and radius
temperature of blue stars - O
> 30,000K
temp of deep blue white stars - B
10,000-30,000K
temp of blue white stars - A
7500-10,000K
temp of white stars - F
6000-7500K
temp of yellowish white stars - G
5200-6000K
temp of pale yellow orange stars - K
3700-5200K
temp of light orange red stars - M
2400-3700K
how do stars begin their life
nebula
second stage of star lifecycle
main sequence star - how most of its life is lived
third stage of star lifecycle
red giant or red super giant
what do less massive stars become (4th stage)
white dwarves
what do more massive stars become (4th stage)
a supernova
what happens to lighter stars after supernova
neutron stars
what happens to heavier stars after supernova
a black hole
0 seconds of universe - 1
The Big Bang - time begins and space is created
10^-32 seconds of universe - 2
inflation - the universe grows very quickly
1000 seconds of the universe - 3
nucleosynthesis - the very lightest nuclei are formed. temp is 1bill kelvin
380000 years of universe - 4
recombination - nuclei and electrons combine to make neutral elements. CMBR is created
what is CMBR
cosmic microwave background radiation
150mill years of the universe - 5
star formation - clouds of gas begin to condense into stars. some of the heavier elements are created in their cores
