Stellar Evolution and Life Cycle of Stars

These flashcards cover key concepts related to stellar evolution, including definitions and important terms found in the lecture notes.

Doppler Shift

A change in frequency or wavelength of light from a star due to its motion relative to the observer.

Apparent Magnitude

How bright a star appears from Earth, which can be affected by distance and interstellar medium.

Absolute Magnitude

The intrinsic brightness of a star, measured as if it were located 10 parsecs away from Earth.

HR Diagram

A graph that plots stars according to their absolute magnitudes and their temperatures.

Main Sequence Star

A star that is in the stable phase of hydrogen fusion, where it spends the majority of its life.

Red Giant

A late stage in stellar evolution where a star expands and cools after exhausting hydrogen in its core.

Planetary Nebula

A shell of gas and dust that is ejected from a low-mass star during its late evolutionary stages.

White Dwarf

The remnant core of a low-mass star, which has exhausted most of its nuclear fuel and no longer undergoes fusion.

Nova

A sudden increase in brightness of a star caused by mass transfer from a companion star in a binary system.

Supernova

A powerful explosion marking the death of a high-mass star, resulting in a dramatic increase in brightness.

Neutron Star

The compact remnant left after a supernova explosion of a massive star, consisting primarily of neutrons.

Black Hole

A region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape from it.