Understanding Stellar Populations and Supernovae

These flashcards cover key concepts related to stellar populations, supernovae types, and the chemical enrichment of stars.

Stellar Populations

Classification of stars based on the percentage of metals they contain.

AGB phase

Asymptotic Giant Branch phase, critical for the return of gas to space based on stellar populations.

Planetary Nebula

A phase where low-mass stars return gas enriched with metals to the interstellar medium.

Supernova

An explosive event resulting from the death of high-mass stars, returning enriched materials to space.

Metallicity

The abundance of elements in stars other than hydrogen and helium, often referred to as 'metals'.

Population I stars

Stars, like our Sun, that have high metallicity (around 2%).

Population II stars

Older stars, typically metal-poor, that formed before our Sun (less than 0.1% metals).

OB Associations

Groups of stars that form at the same time but are not gravitationally bound.

Open clusters

Unbound groups of stars that often include Population I stars, formed over time.

Globular clusters

Gravitationally bound clusters of stars, mostly older low-mass stars, categorized as Population II.

Type Ia supernova

A type of supernova resulting from the explosion of a white dwarf with a consistent mass.

Type II supernova

A type of supernova caused by the collapse of a massive star, varying widely in brightness.