STELLAR PROPERTIES

How do we
know what we
know about
stars?
(and the rest of
the universe!)
What do YOU want to know about
a random star?
What are the most IMPORTANT stellar properties?
Mass (always quoted in terms of
M

= 2 x 10
33
g = 2 x 10
30
kg) is MOST IMPORTANT
Age is VERY IMPORTANT
Composition (relative amounts of different elements)
is also VERY IMPORTANT
Rotation velocity
Magnetic field
Together the above DETERMINE the ALL other
properties of all stars, but NONE of them is EASY to
determine.
What are the (relatively) EASY TO
DETERMINE stellar properties?
Location on the sky, (RA, dec) (first thing you do!)
Brightness or Intensity, I (via apparent magnitude, m)
Surface temperature, T (via Wein's Law + spectroscopy)
Distance, d (via parallax + other methods discussed later)
Luminosity, L, or Power (via absolute magnitude, M)
Size or radius (from T and L via Stefan-Boltzmann Law)
Velocity, V (radial via Doppler shift + motion across sky)
Multiplicity (single, binary=double, triple etc.)
Do they have planets? [very hard, but now sometimes
possible to tell]
Distances (d) via Parallax
This is a direct measurement of the apparent location of the
star with respect to more distant stars.
The closer a star is the more its apparent position
shifts as the earth moves around the Sun.
Our slightly differing vantage point at different times of
the year causes this apparent motion
The parallax angle, p, is defined as the angle subtended by
the Sun-Earth distance (1 AU) at the location of the star.
It is geometrically equal to 1/2 of the shift in location over
a six-month period.
The brightness of a star depends on both distance and luminosity
Parallax
& Hipparcos
Parallax Applets
Introduction to Parallax Applet
Measuring Parallax Angle
Parallax Angle vs Distance
Parallax of Nearby Star
Parallax math
Parallax angle = p ~ tan p = 1 AU / d
Biggest observed p = 0.75 arcsec -- very small!
If d is in PARSECS, p
''
=1/d
1 parsec = 1 pc = 3.26 light-years =
3.085678 x 10
18
cm = 3.1 x 10
16
m = 3.1 x 10
13
km
Recall, 1 AU = 1.496 x 10
13
cm = 1.5 x 10
11
m =
1.5x10
8
km
Example 1: closest star has p = 0.75
''
so
The distance, d (pc) = 1/0.75
''
= 1.3 pc = 4.1 lt-yr
Example 2: A star has d = 50 pc. What is p?
Parallax, p = 1/d = 1/50 = 0.02 arcsec = 0.02
''
The Nearest Stars
Luminosity:

Amount of power a star
radiates

(energy per second =
Watts = 10
7
erg s
-1
)



Apparent brightness:

Amount of starlight that
reaches Earth

(energy per second per
square meter=W m
-2
)
Luminosity passing
through each sphere is
the same


Area of sphere:

4 (radius)
2



Divide luminosity by area
to get brightness
The relationship between apparent brightness and
luminosity depends on distance:

Luminosity
Brightness =
4 (distance)
2



We can determine a stars luminosity if we can measure its
distance and apparent brightness:


Luminosity = 4 (distance)
2
x (Brightness)



BRIGHTNESS, LUMINOSITY AND
MAGNITUDES
Apparent magnitude is an historical way of describing the
brightness or intensity of a star or planet.
The brightest objects visible to the naked eye were
called 1st magnitude and the faintest, 6th magnitude.
Quantified to say a factor of 100 in brightness (or
intensity -- erg/s/cm
2
) corresponds to exactly 5 mag.
Am = 5 100 times brighter (e.g., m = 1 vs m = 6)
Am = 1 (100)
1/5
= 2.512 times brighter
Am = 2 (100)
2/5
= 2.512
2
= 6.31 times brighter
Am = 3 (100)
3/5
= 2.512
3
= 15.85 times brighter
Am = 10 100 x 100 = 10
4
times brighter
Am = 15 100 x 100 x 100 = 10
6
times brighter
Absolute Magnitudes and The
Inverse Square Law
The absolute magnitude is a measure of the
POWER or LUMINOSITY of a star.

m M = 5log
10
d
10pc
|
\

|
.
|
This is equivalent to a relation between Intensity ( I)
or brightness, Luminosity (L) or true brightness,& distance:
I =
L
4td
2
We can measure apparent magnitude or INTENSITIES
easily and DISTANCES pretty easily, and so determine
absolute magnitudes or LUMINOSITIES
To measure a stars true brightness,
or luminosity, you need to know:
A) Its temperature and distance
B) Its temperature and color
C) Its apparent brightness and distance
D) Its apparent brightness and color
E) Its distance, apparent brightness, and color
or temperature
To measure a stars true brightness,
or luminosity, you need to know:
A) Its temperature and distance
B) Its temperature and color
C) Its apparent brightness and distance
D) Its apparent brightness and color
E) Its distance, apparent brightness, and color
or temperature
MAGNITUDES AND DISTANCES
Measuring the brightness, or apparent magnitude of
a star is easy.
If we also know the distance we can get the
ACTUAL luminosity, or absolute magnitude.
Alternatively, if we know both the APPARENT
and ABSOLUTE magnitudes we can find the
DISTANCE to a star.
The absolute magnitude can often be accurately
estimated from the star's spectrum, so this method of
distance determination (spectroscopic parallax) is
often used beyond 100 pc where regular
(trigonometric) parallax cant be accurately found.
A more distant but very luminous star can appear as
bright as a nearer, fainter, star.
Different distances, same brightnesses
Mathematics of Magnitudes
EXAMPLES: Given m = 7 and d = 100 pc, find M: M
= m - 5 log (d/10pc)
M = 7 - 5 log(100pc/10pc) = 7 - 5 log 10
so M = 7 - 5(1) = 2
What if m = 18 and d = 10
5
pc?
M = m - 5 log (d/10pc)
M = 18 - 5 log(10
5
pc / 10
1
pc) = 18 - 5 log (10
4
)
or M = 18 - 5(4) = -2

m M = 5log
d
10 pc
|
\

|
.
|
, so m = M at 10 pc.
Apparent
Magnitudes
Note that mags
are backwards:
More negative is
Brighter and
More positive is
Fainter!
Getting Distances from Magnitudes
Now, given M = -3 and m = 7, find d.
m - M = 5 log (d/10 pc)
7 -(-3) = 10 = 5 log (d/10 pc)
So 2 = log (d/10pc)
Therefore 10
2
= d/10 pc and finally,
d = 10
2
(10 pc) = 10
3
pc = 1000 pc
COLORS and TEMPERATURES of STARS
Bluer stars are hotter and redder ones are cooler.
The simplest and quickest way to estimate the temperature is to
measure the magnitudes of stars in different COLORS, using
FILTERS on a telescope that only let particular wavelengths
through -- the technique of FILTER PHOTOMETRY.
Standard filters are U, B, V, R, I
with U = UV (really very blue), B = blue, V = visible (really
yellow), R = red, and I = IR (very long red).
Filters actually in the IR are H, K, L and can be used with
telescopes in space or at very high altitudes.
Color index, C = B - V
Since lower magnitudes are brighter, C = -0.4 is hot (i.e., more
blue light than yellow) and C = 1.2 is cold (vice versa) for a star.
Stellar Colors
Cool, red, Betelgeuse & Hot, blue, Rigel + Dense star field
Blackbody Curves & Filter Photometry
(a) B-V < 0,
hot and
blue
(b) B-V = 0,
medium
and
yellow
(c) B-V > 0,
cool and
red
Stellar Temperatures
Better TEMPERATURE measurements can be
obtained with more work from a SPECTROMETER,
where brightnesses at many, many wavelengths are
determined.
But you must look at the star for a longer period,
since all the light is spread out into many wavelength
bins.
This allows finding
max
, therefore T via Wien's Law:
T(K)= 0.29 cmK/
max
(cm)
Even more precise measurements of T come from a
detailed analysis of the strengths of many spectral
absorption lines.
Wien's Law Applet
STELLAR SIZES
A very small number of nearby and large stars have had
their radii directly determined by INTERFEROMETRY.
The CHARA Array is substantially adding to this number.
Usually we must use the STEFAN-BOLTZMAN LAW.
L = 4 t o R
2
T
4

L is found from M via m and d
T is found from color index, Wiens Law, or
spectroscopy
So we solve for R,

R =
L
4toT
4
Stars Come
in a WIDE
Range of
Sizes
SPECTRAL LINES TELL US
Composition (mere presence of absorption lines say which
elements are present in the star's photosphere --
fingerprints)
Abundances (relative strengths of lines)
Temperature (relative strengths of lines) (equations are
solved simultaneously for T and abundances)
Pressure (higher P makes for broader lines)
Rotation (faster spin makes for broader lines) (rotationally
broadened line shapes are slightly different from those
produced by pressure broadening)
Velocity (radial velocity from Doppler shift)
Magnetic field strength (causes splitting of energy levels
within atoms, therefore splitting of spectral lines -- but only
visible if B is higher than is typical for most stars).
STELLAR MOTION and VELOCITY
The radial, or line-of-sight, velocity can be
determined from the Doppler shift, as already
discussed.
Long-term measurements of nearby stars (when
determining parallaxes for distance measurements)
also showed many exhibited enough PROPER
MOTION to be detected.
This is motion in the plane of the sky (i.e. in Right
Ascension and Declination)
PM is measured in "/year BUT actual TRANSVERSE
VELOCITY ~ PM x d
The SPACE VELOCITY is the full 3-D velocity of a
star:
the VECTOR SUM of the Radial and Transverse
Velocities.
Proper and
Space
Motions

Barnards Star l