STARS & CONSTELLATIONS

INFO SHEET

What is a star? Composition of a Star

-A star is defined as a fixed
luminous point in the night made
up of gases and plasma that
produce heat, light, ultraviolent
rays, x-rays and other forms of
radiation. Therefore, it is a large
incandescent body e.g. The Sun.
Stars are made from a very hot gas. The gas is usually nitrogen and helium, two
of the lightest elements on the periodic table. The bright twinkle or shine which
a star emits is creating by the nuclear fusion of burning hydrogen and helium in
their cores releasing great amounts of energy. Stars also have smaller amounts
of heavier elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and iron, which had been
created by stars before them. This happens as when a star runs out of fuel and
dies, it ejects its materials to form new stars.

White Dwarf Stars Red Dwarf stars Neutron Stars

Brightness/Luminosity of a star
Very low mass stars have masses below
All stars differ in brightness. The main factors associated with a star’s brightness would be its
0.5 M☉
composition, temperature along with its distance away from Earth. The greater amounts of
gases built up inside of the star, and the greater the amount of heat, the brighter the star Low mass stars have masses about 1.8–
will be. Astronomers use the terms of apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude to figure 2.2 M ☉
out the brightness of a star. Measuring star brightness has been an idea since ancient times.
Many people confuse the ideal difference between brightness and luminosity. The brightness Average sized stars have masses around
of a star would be determined per its distance towards Earth, however the luminosity of a 4-6.2 M ☉
star is the amount of light it emits from the surface. Per space.com the luminosity of a star is
Massive stars have a minimum mass of
usually “expressed in watts and measured in terms of the luminosity of the sun. For example,
the sun's luminosity is 400 trillion watts. One of the closest stars to Earth, Alpha Centauri A, 7–10 M☉
is approximately 1.3 times as luminous as the sun.”

Layers of a star

Core- Center of the star. Where nuclear

fusion occurs/source of energy. Where star
converts hydrogen atoms into helium
Radiation zone- Energy from core travels
through. Energy travels as photons
Convection zone- Changes travel way after
entrance. Gases now travel by convection.
Photosphere- Thin layer/ emits most of star’s
light
Chromosphere- Reddish gaseous layer above
photosphere
Corona- Outermost layer of a star/ the crown.
Visible during eclipse along with the
chromosphere