1.

3 – The Distribution
of Matter in Space
PREREAD PG 384-391
STS & Knowledge Outcomes
•identify different ideas about the nature of Earth and space, based
on culture and science
•Describe, in general terms, the distribution of matter in star systems,
galaxies, nebulae and the universe as a whole
Alberta Education Science 7-9 Program of Studies Pg 71
Objectives
•Understand the life cycle of stars
•Look at what galaxies are made out of
Stars
•Ball of gas (mostly hydrogen) that gives off light energy
•Billions of billions of stars in the universe
•Stars differ in size, density, and temperature
• Hotter stars are blue, while cooler stars are red
•Hertzsprung-Russell (Ejnar Hertzsprung & Henry Norris) devised
chart for brightness and temperature
• Shows how stars evolve and change over time
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
Birth of Stars
•Born from huge accumulation of gas and dust called nebulae
• Nebula is around 75% hydrogen, 23% helium, 2% oxygen, nitrogen, carbon
and silicate dust
• Can come from exploding stars, known as interstellar matter
•Gravity between atoms start to collapse itself into smaller, rotating
cloud of gas and dust 🡪 more and more gather and the core gains mass
•Core gets hot, once hot, it will start to glow and form a protostar
•Once the core reaches 10 million degrees Celsius, hydrogen becomes
helium and a star is born
Life and Death of Stars
•Depending on mass, becomes Sun-like or Massive
• Both undergo main sequence 🡪 convert hydrogen to helium for millions
to billions of years
• Outward pressure from radiation counteracted by gravity, so stays
stable
•As star runs out of hydrogen in core, starts to shrink 🡪 helium in core
starts to fuse into carbon and other elements 🡪 leads to expansion of
outer layers and form a red giant or red supergiant
•Final stage is when fusion reaction stops
Final Stage of Sun-like star
•Core temperature not hot enough, pressure decreases 🡪 star starts
to collapse slowly on itself
•Shrinks until it becomes a white dwarf
• About size of earth
•Star will fade completely until it evolves into cold, dark black dwarf
• Takes so long that no black dwarves have been spotted
Final Stage of Massive Star
•Fusion reaction stop when runs out of fuel
•Gravity cause star’s core to collapse 🡪 collapse ends suddenly with
shock wave
•Outer part of star explodes in event known as supernova
•If not totally destroyed, the core forms a neutron star or black hole
• Neutron star 🡪 rapidly spinning object about 30 km in diameter
• Black hole 🡪 very dense remnant of star with gravity so strong that light
cannot escape as it is radiated from the black hole
Black Hole
•Invisible to telescopes
•Only know they exist based on
how material near black hole
becomes very hot and bright
Star Groups
•Constellations 🡪 grouping of stars
in which we see a pattern
• 88 recognized by International
Astronomical Union
•Unofficial grouping of stars
known as asterisms
• Ex: Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major
constellation)
Galaxies
•Grouping of millions or billions of stars, gas and dust 🡪 held by
gravity
•Earth is in Milky Way
• Flattened pinwheel looking called spiral galaxy
• There’s about 100 to 200 billion stars
•Other galaxies are elliptical and irregular
•Billion billion galaxies (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
Check and Reflect Pg 391
#1-10