CHAPTER 13: MEASURING THE PROPERTIES OF STARS
Measuring A Star's Distance
• Triangulation is a method used to measure
the distance to a star by constructing a
triangle with one side being the unknown
distance to the star, and another being a
known distance (baseline) from which the
star's angle is measured.
• Trigonometric parallax is used to measure the
distances of the nearby stars. The stars are so
far away that observing a star from opposite
sides of the Earth would produce a parallax
angle much, much too small to detect. As
large a baseline as possible must be used.
• Parsec is defined as the distance at which the
radius of the Earth's orbit around the Sun
subtends an angle of one arcsecond. This is
equivalent to approximately 3.26 light-years
or 3.09 x 10^13 kilometers.
The Luminosities of Stars
• Luminosity refers to the amount of energy an
object radiates each second. Two
characteristics of a star that determine its
luminosity are its temperature and radius.
• The inverse-square law refers to a
mathematical relationship relating an object's
luminosity to its distance and apparent
brightness.
• A star's magnitude measures its brightness as
seen from Earth. It is a logarithmic scale, with
lower numbers indicating brighter objects.
• Standard candles are objects with a known
luminosity that measure the distance of other
objects in space. By comparing the apparent
brightness of a standard candle with its
known luminosity, astronomers can
determine its distance using the inverse-
square law. This method is used to measure
distances that are too great for direct parallax
measurements.
Determining The Temperatures and Radii of
Stars
• Wien's Law: The temperature of a star can be
determined by its color, using Wien's Law,
which relates the temperature of a hot object
to the color of the light it emits.
• Spectral Class: The temperature of a star can
also be estimated from its spectral class, with
O-type stars being the hottest and M-type
stars being the coolest.
• Stefan-Boltzmann Law: The radius of a star
can be determined by combining its
luminosity and temperature using the Stefan-
Boltzmann Law, which relates the luminosity
of a star to its surface area and temperature.
Spectra Of Stars
• The stellar spectral types, based on the
information from the attached file, are
classified into seven main types: O, B, A, F,
G, K, and M. These spectral types are
arranged in order of decreasing temperature,
with O stars being the hottest and M stars
being the coolest.
• Stars have dark lines in their spectra because
of the phenomenon of absorption lines. As
light moves from a star's core through the gas
in its surface layers, atoms absorb the
radiation at some wavelengths, creating dark
absorption lines in the star's spectrum.
• The spectra of different types of stars exhibit
differences in their line patterns, which can
be used to determine a star's composition,
temperature, luminosity, velocity in space,
rotation speed, and other properties.
Binary Stars
• Binary stars are star systems consisting of
two stars that orbit around a common center
of mass.
• Binary stars play a crucial role in advancing
our understanding of stellar properties,
evolution, and gravitational interactions,
making them essential objects of study in
astronomy.
 • These stars can be visual binaries, where the • Mass varies along the main sequence in a way
two stars are directly observable as separate that more massive stars are more luminous,
objects, or spectroscopic binaries, where the as shown in the mass-luminosity relation
stars are too close to be visually distinguished discovered by Eddington in 1924.
but their orbital motion can be inferred from • The mass-luminosity relation is a
their combined spectra. fundamental concept in stellar astrophysics
• An eclipsing binary is a type of binary star that establishes a relationship between a star's
system where the orbital plane of the two mass and its luminosity. The mass-luminosity
stars is aligned in such a way that they pass in relation states that the luminosity of a main-
front of each other as seen from Earth. sequence star is directly related to its mass.
• Eclipsing binary stars provides astronomers
with a way to measure the diameters, masses,
and other properties of stars with high
precision.
The H-R Diagram
• The Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram is a
fundamental tool in astronomy used to plot
stars according to their luminosity and
temperature (or spectral class). This diagram
helps astronomers understand stars'
properties and evolutionary stages based on
their position in the graph.
• Axes of the H-R Diagram:
o Horizontal Axis (X-Axis): The
temperature or spectral class of stars
is typically plotted on the X-axis of
the H-R diagram.
o Vertical Axis (Y-Axis): The
luminosity of stars is usually plotted
on the Y-axis of the H-R diagram.
• Main sequence is a fundamental feature of
the H-R diagram that represents the stable
phase of a star's life, where it burns hydrogen
in its core. The position of a star on the main
sequence is determined by its mass, and the
main sequence serves as a reference point for
understanding the properties and evolution of
stars.
• Astronomers can determine the size of a star
by using the Stefan-Boltzmann law and
interferometry techniques. Giant stars are
much larger than the Sun, while white dwarfs
are smaller. The magnitude system is used to
measure the brightness of stars, with the
brightest stars having the lowest magnitudes
and the dimmest stars having the highest
magnitudes.