Stellar Death, Galaxy Structure, and the Universe

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts related to stellar death, galaxy structure, and the universe, based on lecture notes.

Stellar Fate

Determined by mass; low mass stars evolve into red giants, planetary nebulae, and white dwarfs, while high mass stars undergo supernovae and can become neutron stars or black holes.

White Dwarf

A small star approximately the size of Earth that no longer undergoes fusion and is supported by electron degeneracy pressure, with a maximum mass of 1.4 solar masses (Chandrasekhar limit).

Type I Supernova

An explosion resulting from the collapse of a white dwarf star.

Neutron Star

An extremely dense stellar remnant that is supported by neutron degeneracy and can emit beams of light (pulsars).

Black Hole

A region of space where the escape velocity equals the speed of light, characterized by an event horizon and defined by the Schwarzschild radius.

Dark Matter

A form of matter that does not emit light or energy, detectable through its gravitational effects; primarily located in the halo of galaxies.

Galactic Structure

The Milky Way is composed of a disk (with spiral arms and gas for star formation), a dense bulge (center), and a halo (containing old stars and dark matter).

Big Bang Theory

The prevailing cosmological model that describes the Universe as having originated from a hot, dense state and having been expanding ever since.

Dark Energy

A mysterious form of energy that causes the accelerating expansion of the universe.

Exoplanet Detection

Techniques such as the transit method (brightness dip) and Doppler method (star wobble) used to discover planets outside our solar system.