[Astronomy] Unit 10 Part 1- Stellar Evolution (SadRebelMom)

Must be present for star to be "born"

Nuclear Fusion

Interstellar Medium (ISM)

the gas and dust in the interstellar space between a galaxy's stars

Dark Nebula

a cloud of interstellar dust that blocks light from stars on the other side of it; eventually becomes a star

angular momentum

the quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of its moment of inertia and its angular velocity.

CNO cycle

the cycle of reactions by which intermediate and high mass stars fuse hydrogen into helium

star

A ball of hot gas, primarily hydrogen and helium, that undergoes nuclear fusion.

nuclear fusion

The process by which two or more small nuclei fuse to make a bigger nucleus; releases energy during process

Nebula

A large cloud of dust and gas in space

Emission Nebula

a cloud of ionized gas that glows

reflection nebula

interstellar dust that is visible due to reflected light from a nearby star. Such reflection nebulae are bluish in color due to the reflected light.

planetary nebula

A huge cloud of gas that is created when the outer layers of a red giant star drift out into space

Supernova Nebula

- occurs when a massive star dies

- can emit as much energy as whole universe

- supernova remnant is a large chunk of star that gets blown a few light years across

molecular cloud

A dense clump within a molecular cloud that forms as the cloud collapses and fragments. Protostars form from molecular-cloud cores

Protostar

A contracting cloud of gas and dust; the earliest stage of a star's life

ideal gas

an imaginary gas whose particles are infinitely small and do not interact with each other

Kinetic Molecular Theory

an explanation of how particles in matter behave

Coulomb's Repulsion

The relationship among electrical force, charges, and distance where atoms repel each other

strong nuclear force

the attractive force that binds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus; strong enough to overcome Coulomb's Repulsion

proton-proton chain

the chain of reactions by which low-mass stars (including the Sun) fuse hydrogen into helium

hydrostatic equilibrium

the balance of the inward gravitational force and the outward force of fusion within a star. This balance of forces is what keeps a main sequence star stable.

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