universe Flashcards
a brightness scale used to measure how bright a star would be if it were seen from a standard distance
absolute magnitude
the brightness of a star as seen from the earth
apparent magnitude
a large collection of stars, dust and gas bound together by gravity
galaxy
a graph that shows a relationship between a stars surface temperature and the stars magnitude
HR diagram
the distance that light travels through space in 1 year
light-year
the actual brightness of a star
luminosity
the region where stars spend most of their time
main sequence
a large cloud of dust and gas in interstellar space
nebula
the core of supernova that collapsed under gravity
neutron star
a relatively large spherical body that orbits a star
planet
a highly magnitized rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation
pulsar
the motion of a body that travels around another body
revolution
the spin of a body on it’s axis
rotation
the rotation of large and small bodies that orbit our central star, the sun
solar system
a large celestial body that is composed of gas and emits light
star
the distance between two adjacent troughs or crests
wavelength
a gigantic explosion in which a massive star throughs its layers into space
supernova
space and all the matter and energy in it
universe
the hot, dense, dim core of that remains from the collapse of a low-mass star
white dwarf
a galaxy shaped like a pinwheel, with a bulge in the center and spiral outwards
spiral galaxy
a shpereical galaxy with a bright center and very little dust with gas
elliptical galaxy
a galaxy with an irregular shape that does not fit into another catagory
irregular galaxy
all of the different wavelengths and frequencies of electromagnetic raditation
electromagnetic spectrum
the theory that all matter and energy in the universe was compressed into a really small volume
big bang theory
the electromagnetic raditation left over from the formation of the universe
cosmic microwave backround
when a star or galaxy is moving away from the earth
red shift
change in frequency or wavelength when a source is moving with respect to the observer
doppler effect
a tool used to collect light from stars and seperate the colors in the light
spectroscope
