Lesson 5: Vocabulary Flashcards
Luminosity
Sun’s total energy output
Hydrogen burning
Hydrogen is converted to helium
Temperature
The average motion of the atoms or molecules that we sense when we determine how hot/cold something is
Conduction
Heat is transferred through the atoms or molecules directly
Convection
The transfer of heat because of the movement of mass from one location to another
Radiation/Electromagnetic Radiation
How energy from the Sun is transmitted to the earth
Apparent Magnitude
How bright an object appears to the observer
Absolute Magnitude
A measure of the energy output of the star
Inverse Square Law
The apparent brightness of aight source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source and the observer
Parallax
The apparent shifting of position if an object because of a change in the point of view
D = 1/p (distance = one over p)
D is the distance measured in parsecs (1 pc = 3.26 ly) and p is the parallax angle measured in arc seconds
Protoplanet Hypothesis
The solar system began as a huge cloud of gas and dust called a nebula
Nebula
A huge cloud of gas and dust
Accretion
The process of accumulating material
Brown Dwarf
A dark chunk of matter without any energy
