Tools of Astronomy & The Sun

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Spectrum

Arrangement of visible light according to wavelength

Sunspot

Dark areas on the surface of the Sun that are cooler than the surrounding area

Solar Flare

Bright areas on the surface of the Sun that are violent eruptions of particles which increase the intensity of the solar wind

Prominence

An arc of gases looping out from the surface of the Sun

Solar Wind

Flow of charged particles moving from the Sun throughout the entire Solar System

wavelength

Horizontal distance between successive peaks or troughs

Electromagnetic spectrum

Classification of the many types of radiation based on wavelength and frequency

Nuclear fusion

Process of hydrogen atoms joining together to form helium atoms releasing large amounts of energy

Nuclear Fission

Processes of atoms of heavy elements such as Uranium splitting apart to form atoms of lighter elements

sun

Closest star to Earth

Light Year

Distance light travels in one year

star

Glowing hot ball of gases in space fueled by nuclear fusion

Revolution

Process of an object moving around another object; process of orbiting

Doppler Effect

Apparent change in the wavelength and frequency of energy waves that are emitted from an object moving toward or away from the observer

Aurora

Shimmering light in night sky caused by solar radiation exciting molecules in the atmosphere

Neutron star

Massive and dense remaining core of a supernova

Binary stars

A pair of stars that orbit their center of mass

Luminosity

The amount of light emitted by an object per second

Nuclear fusion

Process of lighter atoms joining together to form heavier atoms releasing large amounts of energy, most commonly hydrogen forming helium

Cosmic Background Radiation

Energy thought to be left over from the original expansion of the universe approximately 13 billion years ago

Galaxy

Large group of stars and nebulae held together by gravity

protostar

Recently condensed nebula that will form a star as it continues to contract and increase in temperature

Big Bang

Theory explaining the formation of the universe in a sudden and rapid expansion of all matter and energy from a single point of extremely high temperature and density about 13 billion years ago

parallax

Apparent shift in position of a stationary object as seen by an observer from two different locations

A light year

Distance light travels in one year

Absolute Magnitude

How bright a star would be at the same given distance

Apparent Magnitude

How bright a star appears from Earth

Consolation

Groups of bright stars in the night sky that reminded ancient peoples of animals, common objects or mythological characters

Nebula

Cloud of gas and dust in space

Supernova

Brilliant explosion caused when a massive star implodes

Black Hole

Extremely massive and dense remaining core of a supernova whose gravity is so strong even light can not escape